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If you ask Magic Me participants about how they feel after taking part in a project, you’ll hear a lot of similar things. One younger person told us, “I come here and I can just be myself,” while an older participant told us that “the room is so much brighter when you are here.” Today is World Mental Health Day. We all have mental health, and as many as 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health issue in a given year. Lots of things can affect our mental health—from genetics and our physical health to stress, finances, and our relationships.
As society talks more about mental health, the impact of the arts and social connection on our wellbeing is attracting more and more attention. At Magic Me, we bring older people and younger people together through creativity, and we see firsthand what it can do. But what does the wider literature say?
The evidence supporting the impact of the arts on mental health is vast. Research shows that creative activity improves our mood (BBC Arts Great British Creativity Test, 2018), and that two or more hours a week of arts engagement is positively linked with better mental wellbeing (The Art of Being Healthy, 2016). Meanwhile, research from the UCL Arts & Health Lab found that those who regularly engage with the arts have a 48% lower risk of depression and a 31% lower risk of dying (after accounting for health, age, and wealth). The same UCL study also found that, after engaging with arts initiatives, 79% of people in deprived London communities ate more healthily, and 77% engaged in more physical activity.
This is encouraging for individual wellbeing—but it has important policy implications too. As the NHS shifts its focus from sickness to prevention, the arts could play a meaningful role. One study of “arts on prescription” found a 37% drop in GP consultations and a 27% reduction in hospital admissions, saving an average of £216 per patient. (Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing, 2017)
The arts are powerful on their own—but what happens when you add connection to the mix? The BBC study mentioned above found that the mood boost from arts activities was even stronger when done in person as part of a group. That is the idea behind Creative Mix, our project bringing older and younger people together to make art at our home base in Bethnal Green. At the end of the 2024/2025 project, 92% of participants reported feeling more connected, 87% said it helped them feel part of the community, and 94% felt motivated to do more creative things. One older participant told us: “My children and grandchildren are away, so having these young people, we feel connected.” Another shared: “You leave home and interact with people and feel younger.”
That matters at a time when many people report feelings of loneliness across all ages: 11% of 10–15 year olds and 7% of 45–64 year olds feel lonely often or always. The benefits may even be self-reinforcing, with evidence that those who regularly take part in local creative groups are then more likely to take part in further civic and volunteering activities (University of Kent, 2017).
We see similar results in care homes. Participants in our Spark programme, which brings sensory arts and training to care settings, report improvements to their mood and sense of wellbeing. In Spring 2025, 100% of residents who responded agreed that they felt a stronger sense of connection with staff and other residents. Additionally, 84% of staff said their own sense of wellbeing had increased. One member of staff noted that taking part encouraged residents to get more involved with other activities and outings: “Remember Bob? He now joins us on outings, which he never did before you came.”
Confidence matters, whatever your age. In one of our recent projects, 92% of participants said it made them more confident about trying new things, while 79% said they did something they didn’t know they were capable of. One older participant reflected that while they were nervous at first, it got easier over time: “I would do more now. I feel happy.”
There is a lot happening at the intersection of arts, mental health, and social connection—and Magic Me is proud to be part of such a vibrant field. Whether in care homes, primary schools, or community spaces, bringing generations together through creativity is a powerful way to look after our mental health. If you’d like to be part of it, you can sign up for our newsletter, volunteer, or donate.
