The Science is In: Why Art Really Matters

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Dance 1909 Henri Matisse

We have been reading a fascinating book by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross titled Your Brain on Art. The authors tell the scientific stories generated by researchers who have for many decades been studying the positive effects of arts activities on the human brain and body—a field of investigation called neuroaesthetics.

From the publisher: “A life-altering journey through the science of neuroaesthetics, which offers proof of how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts—and how this knowledge can improve our health, enable us to flourish, and build stronger communities”.

It is so very interesting to us to finally find a compilation of serious scientific studies focused on the positive effects (including improved mental and physical health) that all kinds of arts activities create for both the practitioners and the audiences. There are chapters about how art can help soldiers reduce or eliminate PTSD…