- The book explores how engaging in various forms of art can enhance our well-being, creativity, learning, and social connection, based on evidence from neuroscience, psychology, biology, and medicine.
- The book is divided into three parts: The Art of Being, The Art of Becoming, and The Art of Belonging, which cover different aspects of how the arts affect us as individuals and as members of society.
- The book also provides practical tips and exercises for readers to try out different forms of art and experience their benefits firsthand, as well as insights from artists, scientists, and innovators who are using the arts to transform themselves and the world.
Your Brain on Art (2023) offers remarkable insights into how artistic endeavors and aesthetics – from music and dance to drawing and interior design – can rewire our brains and improve our lives.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Learn the many ways you can experience better living through art and design.
There’s a good chance you’re at least vaguely familiar with the field of art therapy. You might have an image in your head of troubled kids being asked to express their feelings through drawing and painting. But the proven techniques and therapeutic benefits of art go far beyond this.
Alongside a wealth of evidence from clinical trials and peer-reviewed studies, you’ll find a range of practices aimed at benefiting your overall mental health and well-being. Every moment of every day, your senses – along with your brain – are taking in and processing the world around you. And in this summary, you’ll learn how the everyday use of art has the power to rewire your brain and enrich every aspect of your life.
Our sensitivity to aesthetics
Before we get into the different therapeutic benefits that art can provide, we need to ask two important questions. The first is, What is art? And the second is, How do we process art on a physiological level?
While people have been debating the definition of art for centuries, for our purposes we’re going to cast a wide net. In fact, we’re going to take a cue from the Irish poet John O’Donohue who said, “Art is the essence of awareness.”
Now this might sound a little cryptic, but in a way, it’s kind of straightforward as well. Art is everywhere. It’s in the pattern of your rug, the shape of your potted plants, and the design of your furniture.
Magsamen and Ross have a term for this awareness, it’s called having an aesthetic mindset. If you already have a strong aesthetic mindset, you might be the kind of person who frequents art galleries, is often moved by music, and is cognizant of a room’s interior design.
But whether you’re conscious of it or not, you’re constantly being affected by aesthetics. The color of the walls, the lighting, and the soundscape of the room you’re sitting in right now are all having an effect on you. Having an aesthetic mindset simply means that you have an awareness of this relationship and are ready to take advantage of it.
This brings us to the second question of the physiological effect art has on us. As human beings, we’re constantly processing our surroundings through our senses. What we see, what we hear, what we smell, the temperature and texture of the things we touch – these are the aesthetics of our surroundings, and they’re being taken in and processed on a moment-by-moment basis.
All of it has the potential to change how you’re feeling. Smells, sounds, and colors can cause your blood pressure to increase or decrease. They can prompt the release of stress hormones. Or they can make you feel calm, secure, and sleepy.
Most of this is happening on a subconscious level. Neuroscience tells us that only 5 percent of your mental activity is conscious. The rest is happening without you even thinking about it. Your senses are being processed and your emotions are occurring subconsciously. But by increasing your awareness – or your aesthetic mindset – you can take all of this into account and begin using art to make lasting changes to your life and well-being.
Treating stress, anxiety, and trauma
There’s a chance you might have a conflicted relationship with art. Maybe someone told you at a young age that you didn’t show a natural talent for art, and ever since then you simply believed that art was for other people.
If there’s only one thing you take away from this summary, let it be the understanding that you don’t have to be an artistic genius to reap the rewards of art. Creating something with your hands, whether it’s a pencil-and-paper drawing or a small clay sculpture, is its own reward. A study at Drexel University found that people can lower their levels of the stress hormone cortisol by spending just 45 minutes making art. They also pointed out that it didn’t matter how artistically skilled or adept they were. Making art is calming at a physiological level.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There have been thousands of studies in the past few decades relating to art therapy. The results show that making art in a judgment-free environment can also improve your immune functions, your cardiovascular reactivity, and your psychological state.
In fact, you don’t even need to make art to experience some benefit from it. A 2020 study at University College London found that those who attend cultural events at least once a year were found to have lower mental distress and improved quality of life – no matter their socioeconomic level.
Even though it’s believed that humans can experience over 30,000 distinct emotions, we also have the tendency to get emotionally stuck in certain singular emotional grooves. This can be debilitating, especially if the emotions cause anxiety, stress, or depression. Art has the distinct power of changing how we feel because our sensory perception is part of a complex, interconnected neural pathway.
Think about the last time you suddenly heard a song that you hadn’t heard since you were in high school. Just a few seconds of that song can conjure up all kinds of emotions. It can transport you back to a very specific time and place.
Smells and tastes also have a strong power. A certain perfume or the taste of a specific food can conjure up a seemingly forgotten childhood memory in vivid detail. In this way, sound therapy is sometimes used in conjunction with talk therapy due to the proven benefits it has in reducing stress.
This is an invaluable power. When you’ve spent so long in an emotional rut that you’re experiencing burnout, an image, a sound, a smell, can help you snap out of it and experience a moment of transcendent peace.
In a lot of cases, art has the unique ability to redirect your thoughts elsewhere. One technique has been so effective it dates back to ancient civilizations. For Tibetans, the mandala is a circular pattern that contains colorful, sacred geometry within that’s used to supplement meditative practices. In the twentieth century, Carl Jung found that when people filled in the geometry within the mandala, it helped them navigate their own complex emotional lives and arrive at the unifying issue at the center.
More recent studies have confirmed Jung’s theories. Research published in the Art Therapy journal showed significantly lower levels of anxiety in patients who worked with mandalas, compared to those who performed free drawing on a blank piece of paper. The researchers believed the mandala required just enough focus and complexity to soothe and redirect a patient’s thoughts away from anxious thoughts. This “switching-off” effect that art can provide has proven to be invaluable when it comes to improving mental health.
The creation of art has been linked to the production of serotonin and endorphins, which are in turn linked to a happier, more emotionally open state of mind. This openness is needed when dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder as PTSD is essentially a long-term condition wherein a traumatic event is stuck in our body and mind. It could be a harrowing, violent event, or a painful break-up with a friend. Either way, you haven’t been able to process the natural emotional response. It’s gotten stuck and, under the right circumstances, it can come to the surface once again and trigger your stress hormones and nervous system into overdrive.
Fortunately, there’s been a wealth of research in recent years exploring how a variety of art practices can help alleviate PTSD and toxic stress. Drama therapy, dance therapy, painting, sculpting – all of these are techniques that can allow someone to explore and express their inner feelings – which is a key step in alleviating PTSD. For example, drama therapy allows the individual an opportunity to step outside themselves and to increase their own sense of empathy by portraying other people. And one peer-reviewed study showed that programs that involved drawing resulted in an over 80 percent reduction in PTSD symptoms.
In the next section, we’ll move away from stress and anxiety and take a closer look at other physically therapeutic benefits that art can provide.
Treating pain and promoting physical well-being
We’ve already talked about some of the things that happen in your body during sensory experiences, but it’s important to recognize that this process isn’t just mental – it’s physical as well. The structure and functions of your cells are also changed – making your response to art both physiological and biological.
Take neuroplasticity, for instance. This is the ability your brain has to rewire neural networks and change the way it functions. This doesn’t happen overnight, of course, but it does happen when you change your environment or make new habits, like introducing a new art practice into your daily routine. This helps to explain why a growing number of people are receiving a prescription for art, as both a healing measure and as a preventative measure.
Many hospitals are catching on to the benefits of the aesthetic mindset as well. When designing rehabilitation settings, many hospitals take into consideration the color of paint and other interior design elements. Aromatherapy is being used to help treat nausea, and video games are now a common tool in the treatment of patients recovering from a stroke. In general, it’s not uncommon to see art practitioners working with clinical staff in developing care plans at hospitals.
There’s even a term now – palliative aesthetics – which is all about pain management techniques that take art and aesthetics into consideration. BJ Miller is an internal medicine doctor who lost both of his legs and one arm in a terrible accident many years ago. He knows that chronic pain can also be accompanied by a number of other symptoms, including fatigue, nausea, depression, and insomnia. Miller has found art and aesthetics, including music therapy, to be valuable tools in improving mood and managing all of these symptoms on a long-term basis.
He asks his patients to develop an aesthetic mindset by being aware of the moments during the day when they’re feeling better and try to ask themselves, What’s making the difference? What’s the environment like? Is there a sound, a smell, a texture, a color? Take a picture with your phone so you won’t forget.
Music and dance therapy are also being used to treat people with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease that leads to physical issues including shaking, imbalance, and reduced coordination. Only recently has science gotten closer to fully understanding the effect that dance has on the human brain. A three-year study published in 2021 found that dance not only improved the mood and quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s, but it increased the blood flow to the basal ganglia, the region of the brain responsible for coordination and smooth muscle control. In doing so, dance therapy reduced the symptoms of the disease and improved several motor control functions like walking and facial expressions.
In the final section, we’ll wrap things up by taking a quick look at some of the more general rewards of art that anyone can benefit from.
Learning to flourish with art
The writer Kurt Vonnegut Jr. once told a class of high school students the secret to a successful life. It didn’t have anything to do with ambition or determination. He told them to practice art, any kind of art. Poetry, music, painting, sculpting, it didn’t matter. It’s not about fame or money. It’s about creating something that’ll help you to understand yourself and “make your soul grow.”
Many of us were raised in an education system that prioritized memorization and standardized testing. But more and more, researchers are understanding that playful artistic experimentation can result in healthier, more flourishing minds.
With all of this in mind, Magsamen and Ross have identified several ways in which art and the aesthetic mindset can promote a flourishing life. They include cultivating curiosity, creating enriched environments, and balancing ritualized practice with regular moments of new and surprising experiences.
As psychologist Todd Kashdan put it, a rich and meaningful life is about choosing to be curious and exploring the unknown rather than avoiding it. Engaging with art, with curiosity and without judgment, is a perfect way of deepening your empathy, as well as learning to be comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty, which are unavoidable aspects of life that can give some of us anxiety.
So, let’s see if we can wrap this up in a sort of day-in-the-aesthetic-life fashion.
You wake up and head to the kitchen which is lit by blue-white bulbs that simulate the sunlight and activate your circadian rhythms. You take a moment to enjoy the tastes and smells of your favorite coffee or tea. You have a daily art practice that’s as important as your daily exercise and meditation routines. You work on the art without expectations or judgment, it’s about bonding with yourself and supporting your own well-being. It might be a half-hour of doodling or, on the weekends, a few hours working on a sculpture.
Afterward, you take time to be in nature and enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and rhythms of the natural world. You appreciate the intricate designs and wonder that nature provides and carry its inspiration with you into the workplace. You also carry the value of communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving into the workplace and prioritize these things over sheer efficiency and productivity.
After work, you seek out communal artistic experiences with your friends, like live music or a theater performance. You value your social circle, the exchange of ideas, and being able to gain empathy and new perspectives in your worldview.
Sounds like a pretty fulfilling day, doesn’t it? Of course, every day can’t be this perfect, but it can be what you strive for. You can aim to create an aesthetic environment that supports your well-being and helps you to continue learning, growing, and living a successful life.
Summary
By cultivating an aesthetic mindset you can reap the many benefits that art has to offer. An aesthetic mindset takes into account the fact that you’re constantly interacting with your environment and processing sensory experiences. Countless studies show that art – whether it’s sound, colors, drawing, painting, dancing, or sculpting – can reduce stress, anxiety, pain, and trauma, while also prolonging life and improving your general well-being. By creating a more aesthetic environment and building a more art-centric day-to-day life, you can live a healthier, more fulfilling life.
Susan Magsamen is the founder and director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she is a faculty member. She is also the co-director of the NeuroArts Blueprint. Susan works with both the public and private sectors using arts and culture evidence-based approaches in areas including health, child development, education, workforce innovation, rehabilitation, and social equity.
Ivy Ross is the Vice President of Design for hardware product area at Google, where she leads a team that has won over 225 design awards. She is a National Endowment for Arts grant recipient and was ninth on Fast Company’s list of the one hundred Most Creative People in Business in 2019. Ross believes that the intersection of arts and sciences is where the most engaging and creative ideas are found.
Genres
Psychology, Science, Creativity, Nonfiction, Health, Self Help, Medicine, Mental Health, Brain, Neuroscience, Medicine and Nursing, Basic Sciences, Technology, Biology, Life Sciences, Pop Culture in Graphic Design, Arts and Photography
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Language of Humanity
An Aesthetic Mindset
1 The Anatomy of the Arts
2 Cultivating Well-Being
3 Restoring Mental Health
4 Healing the Body
5 Amplifying Learning
6 Flourishing
7 Creating Community
Conclusion: The Art of the Future
Acknowledgments
Notes
Image Credits
Index
About the Type
Review
The book Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us is a fascinating exploration of how engaging in various forms of art can enhance our well-being, creativity, learning, and social connection. The authors, Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, are experts in the field of neuroaesthetics, which is the study of how the brain responds to aesthetic experiences. They present compelling evidence from neuroscience, psychology, biology, and medicine to show how the arts can improve our physical and mental health, foster our personal growth, and build stronger communities. They also share insights from artists, scientists, and innovators who are using the arts to transform themselves and the world.
The book is divided into three parts: The Art of Being, The Art of Becoming, and The Art of Belonging. In each part, the authors explore different aspects of how the arts affect us as individuals and as members of society. They cover topics such as how the arts can reduce stress, enhance memory, boost mood, stimulate creativity, promote empathy, and inspire social change. They also provide practical tips and exercises for readers to try out different forms of art and experience their benefits firsthand.
I found this book to be very informative, inspiring, and enjoyable to read. The authors have done a great job of synthesizing a vast amount of research and presenting it in an accessible and engaging way. They use stories, anecdotes, examples, and quotes to illustrate their points and make them relatable to the readers. They also balance the scientific facts with the personal perspectives of the artists and experts they interviewed. The book is not only a guide to neuroaesthetics, but also a celebration of the diversity and richness of human creativity.
I learned a lot from this book about how the arts can transform us in various ways. I was especially impressed by the evidence that shows how the arts can help us cope with stress, trauma, pain, and illness. I also appreciated the suggestions for how to incorporate more art into our daily lives and how to use it as a tool for personal growth and social impact. I think this book is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in learning more about the power of the arts and how to harness it for their own well-being and happiness.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves art or wants to learn more about it. It is a captivating and enlightening read that will make you appreciate the arts more and inspire you to explore your own creativity. Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us is a book that will change your mind and your life.