As a new habit this year, I’m making time to experience beauty—and to see it properly. We always talk about the same things when it comes to wellbeing: sleep, relationships, exercise, and optimism. They’re important, of course, but there are many other avenues through which we can live better lives. Here’s another: art and the deliberate practice of slow looking.
If you’re like me, slowing down for slowing down’s sake doesn’t serve much purpose. We don’t need a break from life—it’s not possible anyway—but we might need to engage with it differently. We often crave a pause because we rush through everything. And when we finally find ourselves somewhere we could actually slow down, we speed through that too. Most people rush through galleries or museums, trying to see everything quickly for the satisfaction of saying they’ve “done it.” But that misses the point.
Slow looking is different. It’s slowing down with intention, and an art gallery is one of the best places to do it. When we pause in front of a single painting, photograph, or sculpture, something interesting happens. We:
- Pause long enough to feel something, love, joy, interest, play... even discomfort or curiosity can be helpful prompts.
- Reconnect with awe and beauty, both emotions that restore perspective.
- Reorganize our thoughts and emotions, giving the mind space to breathe, imagine, and ponder life’s bigger questions.
- Exercise empathy, wondering what the artist might have felt or reflecting on what was happening in the world at the time.
- Take an actual break from life’s noise, the emails, errands, endless scrolling.
Because let’s be honest: beyond work, family, the gym, and the daily commute, how often are we faced with something pleasant, novel, quiet, and emotionally absorbing?
Almost never.
British Library digitised image from page 6 of "Absolutely True. Written and illustrated by Irving Montagu.
Try it?
Try it with the image above. Imagine: Who was Leah? What made her happy, sad, or insecure? Was she partnered; did she work? Was she rich, average? How did she end up in this image? What was her relationship with the person who drew her likeness? Did she give the image to anyone? Who gave her the necklace?... Even being curious for a few minutes shifts our minds to something else.
So this week, take a different kind of break.
Walk into that gallery or art space you pass by every week. Don’t know what to do there? I'll be going to the Louvre Abu Dhabi this month and I will take a tour and ask, “What piece do you love most here? Show me." And you can too. Leave with something beautiful, curious, strange, or new to think about. That’s all it takes—a break from life not by focusing on nothing, but by focusing on something else.
Research is catching up with what artists have always known — beauty heals. It helps us think differently, feel deeply, gain perspective, and see beyond ourselves. Recent studies show that slow looking enhances aesthetic experience and improves overall wellbeing. It even boosts our physical health. Art literally changes our brains and how we process the world around us.
So whether it’s art, architecture, or a sunset—look longer.
Notice details.
Ask some questions about it.
Notice how you feel.
Then make sense of it.
Want to challenge yourself even more? Pick one piece that moved you the most and take a photo of it. The point isn’t the photo, it’s that when you choose one, you’ll pay attention to them all differently and notice how you feel more acutely. That’s how you live a Good Life: by slowing down long enough to experience what it has to offer.
And if you’re ready to go deeper into the science of Good Living, explore my online course, where I teach 40+ evidence-based strategies—from optimism to joy, mindfulness to meaning—as well as the skills to reduce negative emotional experiences (because those happen too).
What will you slow down to really see this year, and how might that help you build your Good Life?
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Have a great week..... and slow down.
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