Our Brains on Art: An Ancient Prescription for 21st Century Solutions

Have you ever experienced the awakening presence of a loved one with dementia as they sing a familiar song? Or watched, in awe, as the tremors of a person with Parkinson’s disease stop and the person’s gait improves as they dance? Have you wondered why, exactly, you feel so moved when you hear a piece of music? Or why digging in a garden or walking through a beautiful natural vista brings a sense of calm? Or why drawing, coloring, or doodling for just a few minutes can help relieve anxiety and stress? Have you felt the physiologically calming effects of a poem read on a day when you were inconsolable? In writing the book Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us (Magsamen and Ross, 2023), my coauthor Ivy Ross, chief design officer of consumer devices for Google, and I sought to illuminate the power of the arts and aesthetic experiences. We wove together the emerging science of neuroaesthetics to illustrate how creative expression advances our health, well-being, and learning, and how this mode, which is available to us all, is poised to shape the future of medicine, public health, and education. After just 6 days, our book became a New York Times bestseller. Over the last year, thousands of people have told us that the book validates their art experiences; that it has given them permission to make art again; and that it has put into words what they already knew intuitively. I believe the book has been so successful because the world is hungry for ways to heal, thrive, and flourish. Ironically, these solutions have been with us all along, since humanity began. Science is finally catching up and offering a new world of possibilities to translate cutting-edge research into practice around … Click Here to Read the Full CommentaryArt Therapy Cognitive Neuroscience Community IAM Lab Mental Health Music Neuroaesthetics Public Health Wellbeing