This study of the restorative benefits of a retreat experience at a Benedictine monastery was
based on questionnaire responses by 521 visitors. Factor analysis of the reasons for coming
yielded a four-factor solution that both supports and extends the Attention Restoration
Theory (ART) model on which the study was based. Two factors, Being Away and
Compatibility, parallel the corresponding properties of restorative environments posited by
ART. Beauty appears to combine Fascination, Extent, and content in a factor that captures�…

Museums seem to be ideal environments for a restorative experience. A collection of objects
both aesthetic and fascinating would seem appropriate for aiding the recovery of directed
attention, and perhaps for reflection as well. Yet, according to anecdotal reports, museums
often seem tedious and tiring. The authors explore this apparent paradox both theoretically,
in the context of attention restoration theory, and empirically. Study 1, a content analysis of
material generated by focus groups for a Getty Foundation study, yielded categories�…