The Brain-friendly Museum: Using Psychology and Neuroscience to Improve the Visitor Experience

The Brain-Friendly Museum proposes an innovative approach to experiencing and enjoying the museum environment in new ways, based on the systematic application of cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

Providing practical guidance on navigating and thinking about museums in different ways, the book is designed to help develop more fulfilling visitor experiences. It explores our cognitive processes and emotions, and how they can be used to engage with and enjoy the museum environment, regardless of the visitor’s background, language, or culture. The book considers core cognitive processes, including memory, attention, and perception, and how they can successfully be applied to the museum environment, for example, in creating more effective displays. Using evidence-based examples throughout, the book advocates for a wellbeing approach improving visitor experience, and one that is grounded in research from psychology and neuroscience.

This book is a must-read for all museum practitioners and psychologists interested in the relationship between cultural heritage, psychology, and neuroscience. It will also be of great interest to art therapists, neuroscientists, university students, museum stakeholders, and museum lovers.

Annalisa Banzi is an art historian and researcher at CESPEB with a Ph.D. in psychology applied to museum studies. She has an interdisciplinary specialisation in museum studies, psychology, and neuroscience which aims to improve the dissemination of museum contents and to develop visitors’ mental wellbeing and satisfaction.