Life with Chronic Conditions: How Art Can Heal the Brain

For over 10 years I’ve been posting “take a breaks” on Wednesdays. I’ve gotten a bit lack in the last year or so since there are over 400 ideas (and some posts contain a lot of different ideas so it’s probably closer to 700) on the Take a Break Pinterest Board. Promise to do better in that regard, particularly as I'm taking on a "maker" program for kids. 

 

I’m a big fan of Science Friday, and I was thrilled to hear the podcast How Art Can Help Treat Dementia And Trauma, which is based on the book,  Your Brain On Art: How The Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. 

 

Advances in technology allow us to study human physiology like never before, and a growing community of multidisciplinary investigators is researching how the arts and aesthetics affect us, giving rise to a field that is radically changing how we understand and translate the power of the arts. It’s called neuroaesthetics. Or, more broadly, neuroarts. In short, the arts and aesthetics change us and, as a result, they can transform our lives.

 

At a home in upstate New York, a man with advanced Alzheimer’s disease recognizes his son for the first time in five years after he hears a curated playlist of songs from his past. In Finland, a young mother sings to her newborn to help recover from postpartum depression faster than with antidepressants alone. In Virginia, first responders paint to release the trauma of frontline care, and mask-making helps soldiers recover from PTSD. In Israel, a cancer hospital designed with sensory experiences in mind helps patients heal faster.

 

Simple, quick, accessible “acts of art” can enhance your life. Already we see a rise in microdosing of aesthetics as people use specific scents to relieve nausea, calibrate light sources to adjust energy levels, and use specific tones of sound to alleviate anxiety. In the same way you might exercise to lower cholesterol and increase serotonin in the brain, just twenty minutes of doodling or humming can provide immediate support for your physical and mental state. In fact, so many studies have shown the swift physiological benefits to our health from the arts and aesthetics that we debated calling this book Twenty Minutes on Art.

 

So if you’ve never checked out the Take a Break Pinterest Board do so today.