Your Brain on Art
BOOK SUMMARY
What is art? Many of us think of the arts as a luxury. This book will show you how arts are essential and can deliver potent, accessible, and proven solutions for the well-being of everyone. Magsamen and Ross offer compelling research that shows how engaging in an art project for as little as forty-five minutes reduces the stress hormone cortisol, no matter your skill level, and just one art experience per month can extend your life by ten years. They expand our understanding of how playing music builds cognitive skills and enhances learning.
The vibrations of a tuning fork create sound waves to counteract stress. Virtual reality can provide cutting-edge therapeutic benefit. Interactive exhibits dissolve the boundaries between art and viewers, engaging all of our senses and strengthening memory. Doctors have even been prescribing museum visits to address loneliness, dementia, and many other physical and mental health concerns.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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 works with both the public and private sectors using arts and culture evidence-based approaches in areas including health, child development, workforce innovation, rehabilitation, and social equity. Ivy Ross is the Chief Design Officer of Consumer Devices 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 100 most creative people in business in 2019. Ivy believes the intersection of arts and sciences is where the most engaging and creative ideas are found.
PRAISE
"This book blew my mind! An authoritative yet practical guide to neuroarts—a term that, if you haven't heard it before, is even more reason to join these brilliant coauthors on a romp through the latest science on how art transforms the brain and the body." —Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit
"Your Brain on Art will change how you think about the creative world, both around you and within you." —Charles Duhigg, author of the bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better
"This wonderful book demonstrates that art is essential for health, healing, community, and bliss. Your Brain on Art is well researched and well written. I couldn't put it down." —Mary Pipher, author of Women Rowing North and A Life in Light
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Trade paperback 304 pages Non-fiction 8 in H | 5.2 in W | 0.8 in T | 0.6 lb
