A life-altering journey through the science of neuroaesthetics, which offers proof for 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
Many of us think of the arts as entertainment - a luxury of some kind. In Your Brain on Art, authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross show how activities from painting and dancing to expressive writing, architecture and more are essential to our lives.
We're on the verge of a cultural shift in which the arts 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; and 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.
Your Brain on Art is a portal into this new understanding about how the arts and aesthetics can help us transform traditional medicine, build healthier communities and mend an aching planet.
Featuring conversations with artists such as David Byrne, Renee Fleming and evolutionary biologist E. O. Wilson, Your Brain On Art is an authoritative guide to neuroaesthetics. The book weaves a tapestry of breakthrough research, insights from multidisciplinary pioneers and compelling stories from people who are using the arts to enhance their lives.
About the Authors
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 is also the co-director of the NeuroArts Blueprint. Susan works with both the public and private sectors using arts and culture evidence-based approaches in areas including health, child development, education, workforce innovation, rehabilitation and social equity.
Ivy Ross is the Vice President of Design for hardware product area 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 one hundred Most Creative People in Business in 2019. Ross believes that the intersection of arts and sciences is where the most engaging and creative ideas are found.
Industry Reviews
'This book blew my mind! An authoritative yet practical guide to the neuroarts - a term that, if you haven't heard it before, is even more reason to join these brilliant co-authors 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: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE
'This book brilliantly puts a new science to the experience of viewing and making art, and shows us how to use art to transform our daily lives. Your Brain on Art will change how you think about the creative world - both around you and within you' - CHARLES DUHIGG, author of bestsellers THE POWER OF HABIT and SMARTER FASTER BETTER
'A groundbreaking book on the science behind humanity, joy and creativity. Art is the word we use for the magic that makes us better' - SETH GODIN, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THIS IS MARKETING
'Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, through extensive interviews and research, have created something beautiful and affirming with their book Your Brain on Art. Its pages provide proof for what so many of us have always known, that art, especially art in community, is transformative beyond measure' - DAVID BYRNE, bestselling author of HOW MUSIC WORKS
'This mind-bending book can help shape richer lives and a newer world. It's the best description yet of the indivisibility of art, the natural world, and our neurological health' - RICHARD LOUV, author of THE NATURE PRINCIPLE and LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS
'An extraordinary and important book. Magsamen and Ross put us back in touch with one of thedefining features of being human - art' - DANIEL LEVITIN, New York Times bestselling author of This Is Your Brain On Music
'In their captivating book, Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross have assembled something remarkable: a scientific framework for understanding how art affects us. For anyone who has been transfixed by a painting, or moved to tears by a piece of music, this book provides a fascinating tour of what goes on in the brain when we encounter art's transformative power'
ANNIE MURPHY PAUL, author of The Extended Mind
