Art and expression is part of the human experience. Throughout history and across many cultures, humans have practiced creative expression because our brains are wired to move and express. Drexel University Research Professor Girija Kaimal writes: “human brains…are biological prediction machines… These inherent predictive and imaginative capabilities are the wellspring of humanity’s abilities to survive and thrive – because self-expression is a safety valve that helps us cope with uncertainty.” A research study at Drexel examined brain activity while using virtual reality tools to create 3-D digital artwork and determined that “creative expression is a natural state of being. The brain uses fewer cognitive resources to be expressive and creative, compared with the brain power needed to do a rote task that requires conscious effort.”
The healthy aspect of viewing art goes far beyond intellectual stimulation and emotional reward. The enjoyable act of viewing art can increase dopamine (a hormone and neurotransmitter produced at the base of the brain) and decrease cortisol (a hormone produced by adrenal glands known as the “stress hormone”). Actively engaging in creative expression takes this a step further. As Dr. Kaimal states, “creativity activates reward pathways in the brain. Using our hands and bodies to express ourselves … helps us feel good… Our brains are wired to secrete feel-good hormones whenever we move, create something or engage in any type of expressive activity.”
This is true for any act of creativity, be it music, poetry, writing, journaling, painting, photography, sculpting, coloring, fiber arts, dance, woodworking, culinary arts, even doodling. Creative self expression positively affects our physical and mental health whether we are a professional artist or not. A new initiative in Canada now allows medical professionals to “prescribe art” for their patients.
In addition to the obvious physical benefits of arts such as dance and movement, art can actually assist in physical healing and pain management.
Clinical studies done on the 2001 Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program prove that Parkinson’s symptoms can be temporarily erased through dance and eventually rewiring of the brain may occur.
In their 2023 book Your Brain on Art, Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross state, “The arts and aesthetics are increasingly being used as medicine around the world precisely because they have the capacity to engage multiple physiological and neural systems that not only help the body to heal but that also mend the mind and lift the spirit.” Magsamen and Ross continue, “This summarizes quite nicely why the arts have such a potent effect on our health. Whereas a pharmacological treatment works on one, maybe two pathways, the arts have the ability to trigger hundreds of mechanisms that work in concert.”
The healthy benefits of art can be enjoyed by anyone because Art is for everyone!
According to the American Art Therapy Association (one of the world’s leading art therapy organizations), “You don’t have to be an artist or even ‘artsy’ to make art. Everyone is creative – and we all remember making art as children.” Multiple clinical studies show that even one session of creative artmaking can produce healthy benefits and the healthy benefits are increased exponentially when we engage in regular artmaking. Just as we can promote our wellbeing through regular exercise and a healthy diet, regular artmaking has a profound impact on our wellness!
— Diane Stratton Smith, MS, ATR-BC, LCAT