“`html

The University of Michigan’s innovative arts prescription initiative, ArtsRx, is set to commence a pilot implementation study aimed at assisting college students in overcoming loneliness.

ArtsRx unites a diverse alliance of U-M arts and health departments, including University Health & Counseling, Wolverine Wellness, and the Arts Initiative, along with the University Musical Society, Museum of Art, Stamps Gallery, and the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

This marks U-M’s inaugural study focused on arts prescribing within the realm of college student loneliness. Following the completion of the Arts and Loneliness in College Students survey of over 1,400 U-M students throughout a four-month timeframe in the Winter 2025 semester, it became evident that loneliness warranted deeper examination in this follow-up study. The survey revealed that more than 60% of respondents experienced feelings of missing companionship, being excluded, or feeling detached from others, ranging from “some of the time” to “often.”

To enroll participants for the study, UHC personnel will conduct a loneliness assessment for students arriving for appointments. Those who score positively will be invited to take part and will subsequently receive prescriptions for various arts-related activities from a UHC clinician. ArtsRx events encompass hands-on creative endeavors, gallery tours, performances, and concerts, all designed within a “meet-up” format that fosters social connections among students.

Participants will be asked to complete a post-intervention survey to evaluate factors that influenced their engagement with the prescription. The research team is optimistic that the results will inform and enhance the ArtsRx initiative as it broadens into various clinical and nonclinical settings.

Lindsey Mortenson, executive director at UHC, chief mental health officer, and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry, emphasizes the significant distinctions between loneliness, isolation, and solitude—the latter typically holding positive implications.

“Our survey evaluated loneliness and isolation, both linked to poorer social and occupational outcomes,” she noted.

A key objective of the ArtsRx experiences prescribed in the study will be to alleviate the metaphorical “alone in a crowded room” sensation. For U-M students, numerous social opportunities are available and promoted daily. The research team questioned the barriers to pursuing these experiences and feeling a sense of connection with others, thus alleviating feelings of loneliness or isolation.

“Leveraging insights from our Arts and Loneliness in College Students survey, the campus arts community is becoming more deliberate about addressing student needs through the arts,” stated Mark Clague, executive director of the U-M Arts Initiative and music professor. “Initially, we believed that cost and time were the main barriers to arts involvement; however, students indicated that social isolation itself posed an obstacle—the need for awareness that other students would be present to foster their own engagement.”

The advantages of the arts for mental and physical well-being are well-documented. For instance, a 2019 report commissioned by the World Health Organization indicated that engaging with the arts contributed to:

• Mitigating loneliness and social isolation by fostering social connections through collaborative activities such as craft circles or group singing
• Promoting health-enhancing behaviors by utilizing murals, theater, and narratives to convey health information and diminish stigma around accessing health services
• Enhancing stress management and prevention through music listening, art creation, and participation in cultural events
• Alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression by engaging in community arts programs
• Aiding in managing noncommunicable diseases, for example, dancing to lower blood pressure in individuals with cardiovascular issues

ArtsRx will serve as an additional resource for clinicians and wellness coaches to incorporate into a patient’s treatment or action strategy, as deemed appropriate after assessment.

Apart from clinical prescriptions, there is also an option for self-prescription available for students, faculty, staff, and other community members interested in exploring ArtsRx independently or alongside a wellness coach.

The ArtsRx team is collaborating with campus partners to broaden social prescribing initiatives in 2026, including the already established NatureRx and addressing further focus areas like movement and community service.

“Our recent endeavors to investigate social prescribing have sparked innovative and creative concepts to redefine impact and enhance lives,” Mortenson remarked. “It reminds me of an interview with Yo-Yo Ma from several years ago, which I stumbled upon at a time when my son, a cellist, was immersing himself in various cello compositions.

“Yo-Yo Ma expressed that the creation of music resembles an ecological phenomenon termed the ‘edge effect,’ which occurs in transitional zones where distinct ecosystems interact—resulting in a proliferation of new species and habitats that may not exist elsewhere. I often reflect on that idea with this initiative. Such imaginative ideas and solutions thrive when individuals from diverse backgrounds and expertise are open, creative, inquisitive, and willing to collaborate and co-create in unique ways.”

“`