Art and Sport: An Ancient Alliance for Health

In contemporary Western culture, art and sport are often viewed as separate – and sometimes competing - spheres, especially when it comes to public policies and the systems that fund them. Both rely on limited resources and are more likely to face budget constraints than sectors seen as being higher priorities, like health, welfare, and education.

European data show that, in 2023, public spending for cultural services by the European Union accounted for just 1.0% of overall public spending, while the percentage destined for recreational and sport services stood at 0.8%. To a large extent, the “competition” between culture and sport stems from a model of resource allocation that ranks both policy sectors as discretionary, making them particularly exposed to cuts and forcing them to constantly prove their worth for society, education, and health.

A relationship with roots in ancient Greece 

In classical tradition, however,​​ and in Greek culture especially, the ideal of the paideia was centred around a holistic vision of human growth, one that encompassed care for the body, the mind, and interpersonal relationships. Education was understood as a journey, whose aim was to shape citizens who could simultaneously develop physical strength, aesthetic sensibility, the capacity to reason, and civic responsibility. It is no coincidence that places like the gymnasium were spaces for exercise, learning, and socialisation, while the important public holidays were combinations of sport competitions, music, theatre, and collective celebration. Art and sport were therefore not separate spheres, but complementary parts of the selfsame vision of human flourishing.

​​​The integration of art and sport: a​​​ ​contemporary ​ ​perspective

This concept remains surprisingly current. In recent years, as a matter of fact, a growing number of studies have begun to explore not only the specific benefits​ ​of​​​​​​ ​​involvement in cultural activities and of​​​​​​ ​​physical exercise, but also the value generated by blending the two. Available evidence suggests that combining art, culture, and sport can be especially impactful in terms of physical, psychological, and social wellbeing, encouraging us to go beyond the traditional division of sectors that separates these spheres.

Rethinking the relationship between art and sport

A study conducted by researchers at the Department of Clinical Sciences and the Centre for Primary Health Care Research of Lund University, published in 2024, analysed the association between participation in cultural activities and perceived health in over 40,000 adults living in the region of Scania, in the South of Sweden (Lindström, Pirouzifard & Jensen, 2024). The researchers used the data from a public health survey conducted in 2019 in Scania that asked participants whether, over the course of the previous year, they had been to the theatre or cinema, gone to museums or art exhibitions or attended sporting events. The responses were then directly compared with self-perceived health, an indicator that is widely used in epidemiological research because it is strongly associated, in the long-term, with morbidity (an epidemiological and statistical indicator that measures rates of disease or poor health) and with mortality.

​​Beyond lifestyle: the value of engagement

The analyses showed that people who engage in cultural and sport activities more often exhibit characteristics associated with better health, like higher levels of physical activity and more positive socioeconomic circumstances. The most notable result was that the link between said engagement and perceived health remained significant even after the main socioeconomic and behavioural variables were taken into account. This suggests that engaging in both culture and sport is, in and of itself, a resource for health, capable of contributing to our wellbeing via mechanisms linked to sociality, relationship building and a sense of belonging.

The value of relationships​, a determining factor for health​​

Additional food for thought on the association between participating in cultural activities and practising sport comes from European data. Research into engagement with culture shows that, alongside interest in the arts, factors such as socialisation and a desire for shared experiences also play important roles (Janssen, Kristensen, Verboord & Lopez, 2025). Similarly, a review that analysed 58 studies examining people's motives for engaging in sport highlighted that, in addition to health benefits, important motivating factors also include social interaction and the support provided by relationship networks (Pedersen, Hansen & Elmose-Østerlund, 2021). Culture and sport thus appear to address and satisfy some of the same needs, which are associated with the social aspects of wellbeing. The results take on particular relevance when viewed in light of the growing focus the public health sector is placing on social relationships as determining factors for health. Museums, theatres, cinemas, and sports events can be seen as environments for engagement, where people build relationships and share experiences, aspects that help to support psychological wellbeing, combat loneliness, and strengthen those social resources that are increasingly recognised in scientific literature as essential components of overall health.

The role of the sensory experience

Alongside our relationships, the importance of sensory experience is also coming to light. A review by the What Works Centre for Wellbeing highlighted how the benefits linked to engaging in arts, culture and sport do not come solely from the activities themselves, but also depend on the characteristics of the space where they take place (What Works Centre for Wellbeing, 2020). Places that are able to engage the senses through images, sounds, colours, movement, contact with nature, and other environmental stimuli can, in fact, encourage processes of relaxation, recovery, and emotional regeneration. This perspective calls attention to the role of the body as the point where art, culture, and sport intersect: in all three spheres, wellbeing stems from lived experiences that simultaneously engage our perception, emotions, and relationship with the surrounding environment.

When movement meets creativity

If both forms of engagement generate benefits via the same mechanisms, what happens when they are combined as part of a single experience?

Certain activities, like dance and the performing arts in general, offer a privileged vantage point for understanding the point where art, culture, and sport intersect, because they interweave artistic expression, physical exercise, aesthetic experience and social engagement. An umbrella review published in 2021 analysed 33 systematic reviews, 9 observational studies investigating mortality and non-communicable disease risk, and 87 studies reporting heart rate responses while engaging in music and dance, with the goal of understanding the effects of the performing arts on health (McCrary, Redding & Altenmüller, 2021). Dance, for instance, can require moderate to vigorous levels of physical exertion, comparable to those recommended when exercising, though its primary purpose remains that of expression. The rhythms in music facilitate motor coordination, while learning and memorizing choreographed sequences requires attention, memory, and executive functioning. Expressive interpretation involves complex emotional processes, and the collective nature of the activity encourages synchronisation, cooperation, and social interaction. Dance is thus simultaneously a physical, cognitive, emotional, and relationship-building experience.

This translates into effects that impact our health in numerous ways. The review reported benefits in 17 of the 18 domains analysed, with evidence pertaining to mental health, perceived health, social functioning, physical fitness, cognitive functioning, and certain immune indicators. On a physical level,​ dance is associated with improved cardiovascular capacity​, strength, balance, mobility, and flexibility. On a cognitive level, it was found to have a positive impact on attention, memory, cognitive functioning, and on indicators of neuroplasticity. On psychological and social levels, we see beneficial effects on mood, perception of self, life satisfaction, stress management, and perceived social support.

The benefits of shared movement

These results are confirmed by an earlier systematic review examining sport and dance interventions targeting young people ages 15 to 24 (Mansfield et al., 2018), in which researchers analysed 11 studies, investigating extremely diverse programs​ ​that included dance, team sport, meditative physical activity, and exercise programs focused on empowerment. The available evidence suggested that participation in group-based or peer-supported activities is linked to especially positive outcomes, and also confirmed that a blending of physical and social activities is essential.

From research to practice

Today, this research has become a reality, in the form of numerous programs developed across Europe and North America. Initiatives such as Dance for Parkinson’s, which was created in 2001 in New York through a collaboration between Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn Parkinson Group, and which today has spread to numerous countries around the world, and Dance Well, which began in 2013 at the Museo Civico di Bassano del Grappa, show us how dance can have a place in our toolbox for fostering health and wellbeing. 

​​The experience of Adapted Physical Activity

The APA approach, applied in contexts of vulnerability, is particularly interesting. In Italy, for example, Adapted Physical Activity (APA) has for years been one of the tools most commonly used to support people with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and neurodegenerative conditions, through structured exercise programs whose aim is to maintain functional capacity, independence and quality of life.

When exercise and culture come together

Experiences like Dance Well nonetheless suggest that a combination of physical, cultural, and creative activities can further expand these beneficial effects. Exercise is no longer simply a means to preserve physical functions that are being impaired; it also presents an opportunity for personal expression and for building meaningful relationships. In fact, the program offers workshops, in museums and cultural spaces, for people both with and without Parkinson's, transforming cultural heritage into a resource for wellbeing and creating opportunities to spark a dialogue between body, beauty, and community.

A model that inspires new experiences

A similar approach has emerged from the Irish Football Cooperative, founded in 2020 in County Waterford and presented at the 2025 Global Social Prescribing Summit. Here, football is used as a tool for social inclusion and to foster wellbeing, in combination with cultural, art and community-based activities, and with storytelling.

At a time in history that is characterised by growing loneliness, sedentariness and psychological vulnerabilities, these approaches show how a combination of exercise, creativity and engagement can open up new opportunities for fostering both personal and community wellbeing.

By Catterina Seia (Presidente CCW – Cultural Welfare Centre) and Elena Rosica ( Cultural Welfare Center (CCW), Research Area).

Per approfondire: 

• Catterina Seia and Elena Rosica, Art and health: a proven connection, 25 April 2025;

   

• Catterina Seia and Marta Reichlin, Flourishing through the arts, 30 April 2024;

   

• Catterina Seia and Marta Reichlin, CultureForHealth: 8 major social challenges that art and culture can overcome, 27 dicembre 2022;

   

• Catterina Seia and Greta Pieropan, Dancing on the Stage of Life, 15 settembre 2021