Local arts study looks to use findings to combat isolation, loneliness

May 15—Many Monadnock Region residents believe engaging in the arts helps them feel grounded in their community and less lonely. But, a new local study shows several barriers are in place preventing that connection.

The Monadnock Region's Arts Access Project, launched last year by Keene nonprofit Arts Alive and a pair of Antioch University New England researchers, collected data from January to March 2021. It garnered 365 participants in an online survey, in addition to the 36 people who engaged in one of five focus groups.

All of this data was recently released to the public, with an aim of improving and expanding opportunities for creative expression locally.

"Something that I've been passionate about for a really long time is defining the importance and value of the arts," said Arts Alive Executive Director Jessica Gelter. "It has a correlation with how a community connects with individuals and as groups ... in a way that connects us with our humanity."

Founded in 2007, Arts Alive supports the local creative economy by funding and advocating for arts and cultural organizations in the Monadnock Region.

The nonprofit has traditionally focused on illuminating the arts industry's economic impact in its research, Gelter told The Sentinel previously.

She extended the organization's mission to study the arts' psychological impact as well, after identifying a widespread sense of social isolation which she attributed to the opioid epidemic, increasingly tribal politics, digital technology and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gelter — alongside Antioch Associate Professor of Applied Psychology Tomoyo Kawano and student Cierra Tunquist — found that 97 percent of those surveyed agreed that a connected community is better for the well-being of residents. Another 90 percent said community events were an effective way to harbor that connection.

Of those surveyed, about 65 percent said they used artistic expression to manage their loneliness. The 109 participants said they did not participate in the arts, and of those, 61 percent said they'd be less lonely if they did.

Loneliness can lead to depression, anxiety and social withdrawal, according to the National Library of Medicine. Similar to stress, loneliness and social isolation can also cause several physical ailments, like heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer's.

Just over 87 percent of people surveyed said they participated in their last artistic activity alone and felt less lonely afterward. Those who felt "significantly" better after engaging in the arts did so with a group of five or more people.

The arts activities people used most often to help with loneliness were listening to or making music, drawing, painting, photography, community dancing, yoga, crafting, writing and creating or attending live performances.

However, while the study — backed by a fellowship and $10,000 grant from the Virginia-based nonprofit National Arts Strategies — shows that people know the arts will help them with feelings of social isolation, many area residents had difficulties engaging in them.

Nearly 70 percent of participants said timing of events related to other life priorities was a barrier, and 50 percent attributed their issues to cost.

Social anxiety and fear of exclusion were hurdles for about 30 percent of those surveyed. But, for 63 percent of those under 30 years old, social anxiety blocked them from engaging in an arts event.

"It's really interesting that we saw so many folks from the younger age groups ... were just not feeling comfortable there," Gelter said. "And part of me wonders about how that might tie into the decreasing arts funding in the early 2000s, and how that may have led people to [have] less arts experiences."

Disinterest in the arts was the reasoning for 34 percent of participants. Those of lower income, people between ages 30 and 60, and community members who did not identify as white were less likely to select disinterest as a barrier, the study shows.

Moving forward, Gelter said the research team is working to get the study published in a professional medical journal.

"We want to make it official and have the weight that comes with that and a peer review," she said.

There are no plans at this point to implement the study into the community yet, with the main focus on making sure it's findings are shared and seen.

"Our hope is maybe next year to lead a community conversation around it, and see if there's anything we can facilitate collaboratively," Gelter said. "But a big part of the work that we do is hoping that organizations will take it and use it to their best advantage."

Funding for the Monadnock Region Health Reporting Lab comes from several sources, including The Sentinel and several local businesses and private donors. We continue to seek additional support. The newsroom maintains full editorial control over all content produced by the lab.

Olivia Belanger can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439, or obelanger@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBelangerKS.