You know the transformative power of art. You’ve lost yourself in a piece of music, a painting, a movie, or a play, and you’ve felt something shift inside of you. You read such a fascinating book that you pressed it into the hands of a friend; You heard such a touching song, you listened to it over and over, memorizing every word. Art brings joy. Inspiration. welfare. Understanding. Even salvation. And while this experience may not be easy to explain, you always knew it was real and true.

But now we have scientific evidence that art is essential to our survival.

We know how art, in its myriad forms, heals our bodies and minds. We have evidence of how art improves our lives and builds community. We also know how the aesthetic experiences that make up each moment change our basic biology.

Technological advances allow us to study human physiology like never before, and a growing community of multidisciplinary researchers explores how art and aesthetics affect us, creating a field that is radically changing the way we understand and communicate the power of art. It is called neuroaesthetics. Or, more broadly, neuroart.

In short, art and aesthetics change us and, as a result, can change our lives.

We wrote our book, Your brain about art for everyone—those who have had little experience in the arts or sciences, and those who work in those fields. Our goal is to share with you the building blocks of neuroart. We hope it will enrich and inspire you, your family, your colleagues and your community.

Many of us tend to think of art as entertainment or as an escape. Some kind of luxury. But this book will show you that art is much more than that. With their help, you can fundamentally change your everyday life. They can help solve serious physical and mental health problems with great results. And they can help you learn and thrive.

At home in upstate New York, a man with advanced Alzheimer’s recognizes his son for the first time in five years after hearing a curated playlist of songs from his past. In Finland, a new mother is singing to her newborn to help her recover from postpartum depression faster than antidepressants alone. In Virginia, first responders paint to relieve trauma from the front, and mask making helps soldiers recover from post-traumatic stress disorder. In Israel, a cancer hospital designed with a sensory experience in mind is helping patients recover faster.

All over the world, medical professionals prescribe visits to museums. Digital designers work with cognitive neuroscientists to find new treatments for attention deficit disorder and improve brain health. There is a virtual reality program that relieves the pain. And as research shows that sensory-rich environments help us learn faster and retain information better, many schools, workplaces and public spaces are being reimagined and redesigned.

All thanks to progress in neuroaesthetics.

Just as the formal establishment of the discipline of neuroscience at the end of the 20th century revolutionized our understanding of the brain, the emergence of the field of neuroart is creating an important body of art-based evidence about our brains. And there is still so much ahead. The work of the artist Norman Galinsky “Spiral Cluster” represents a dynamic connection between art and science. Discoveries and discoveries about human biology will continue to drive art-based personalized prevention and wellness programs that will increasingly become part of the mainstream health care and health care system as clinicians and insurance companies are convinced by the growing evidence that art really does. helps us heal. and prosper.

Simple, quick, affordable “art activities” can improve your life. We’re already seeing the rise of microdosing aesthetics, as people use specific scents to ease nausea, calibrate light sources to regulate energy levels, and use certain tones of sound to ease anxiety. Just as you can exercise to lower cholesterol and increase serotonin in your brain, just 20 minutes of drawing or humming can immediately boost your physical and mental well-being. In fact, so many studies have shown immediate physiological benefits to our health from art and aesthetics that we debated the title of our book Twenty minutes to St.

We both thought Your brain is on art like a kaleidoscope, each story and piece of information forms colorful objects, beautiful patterns and shapes within them. Make just one small turn of the aperture of the kaleidoscope and your perception of the multifaceted picture will change, revealing something you have never seen before. And the possibilities are endless.

Not in some idealistic, intellectual way.

In a real, grounded, practical way.

Your brain is at will show you how.