Your Brain on Art

We’re loving playing with Sound Patterns, an app which allows you to craft individualized soundscapes to reflect your internal states of mind. This marriage of aesthetics and technology represents the future of the arts we envision: technology as a tool to unlock new affordances for human expression and amplify our unique potential. In a world where technology often feels overstimulating and anxiety-inducing, stifling natural creativity, this app stands out as a shining counterexample—one that empowers creativity rather than diminishes it. It’s a reminder that when thoughtfully designed, technology can enhance, not hinder, our capacity for artistic expression. Maybe give this app a try to get your daily dose of aesthetic play (and some needed relaxation this Thanksgiving)! Link to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g4xr9ucP App made through a collaboration between Ben Silbermann and Yuri Suzuki.

The concept of the flow state has become fully embedded itself into the modern lexicon. It was introduced in the seminal work by Csikszentihalyi's “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience”. The flow state transcends cultural boundaries and has been reported throughout history, suggesting that the flow state is a human universal.   The arts, too, are also a human universal, and this is not a coincidence. There is a strong connection between the flow state and artistic expression. Research has demonstrated a significant correlation between how much time individuals spend in the flow state and their reported quality of life and wellbeing. In the flow state, awareness of the passage of time and autobiographical identity fades and concern with the minutiae of daily existence disappears. The flow state is so neurobiologically rewarding, that people will seek out activities that get them into the flow state, simply for the joy of being in that state, without the need for any further reward—even activities that are strenuous or dangerous. The flow state becomes available when the following characteristics of an activity exist simultaneously: • The difficulty of the task is matched or slightly surpasses ones skill level • There’s clear and immediate feedback on performance • The level concentration required for the task is so consuming that you cannot easily be distracted The arts, in all their forms, are powerful gateways into the flow state. This is one way in which the arts can benefit everyone, especially for people without artistic training for which any engagement with the arts is likely to be a flow state inducing positive challenge. What gets you into a flow state? Research literature: https://lnkd.in/eGq8ANGY Rebecca Silton Robert G Morrison Christos Papadelis https://lnkd.in/eSS5v_Js Gioia Chilton

Did you know that doodling increases blood flow to the medial prefrontal cortex, improving attention and the ability to find meaning in sensory information? Despite what we were all told as young students, research suggests that drawing during learning significantly improves retention and retrieval of information. Structured doodling (shading in shapes) also improves memory encoding, increases attention and reduces mind-wandering. One randomized control trial found that participants who engaged in structured doodling while listening to a random list of names remembered 29% more than those who didn't. When you feel the urge to doodle next time you're in a meeting, class, or listening to a podcast, don't stifle it and let the doodles flow. Even better, draw what you're trying to learn and reap the memory rewards. Are you a doodler? We want to see your doodles! Research Literature: https://lnkd.in/gwxtUinA Jackie Andrade https://lnkd.in/gNgT-9uT Myra Fernandes

In Japan, researchers have gathered a body of evidence showing that spending time in nature, or “Forest Bathing” (Shinrin Yoku), has powerful mood-modifying effects. Just 15 minutes in nature has been found to be beneficial. Research suggests several factors, including reductions in amygdala activity, lowering of cortisol levels, and the chance to escape the artificial environments we spend so much time in. Being in nature gives us an opportunity to reconnect with the environment we evolved in, the most enriched environment we have access to. The profundity of life can strike us when we’re in nature, tapping into our innate ability to experience “awe”. These combined effects help explain why spending time outdoors improves stress and wellbeing. We are inundated with behavior-modifying digital and artificial stimuli which our brains aren’t evolved to handle. This constant exposure can lead to what’s known as “techno-stress,” the stress resulting from maladaptive psychological coping mechanisms. Smartphone addiction, social media as a substitute for human connection and circadian rhythm disrupting artificial light are some of the primary offenders. Getting back into nature is an essential counterbalance to reduce the influence of these stressors. Did you spend time in nature today? Research Literature:  https://lnkd.in/ghvKst2 Margaret Hansen https://lnkd.in/eRUd_q7e MaryCarol Hunter

As the Fall semester is underway, we’d like to emphasize some ways the arts can play a role in improving student academic performance. Students are often balancing the pressure to succeed academically while also taking care of their mental and physical well-being. One of the first things that tends to suffer under these demands is in an erosion of sleep quality.  The relationship between sleep quality, learning and memory encoding has been robustly demonstrated. In Matthew Walker, PhD’s book, “Why We Sleep”, Dr. Walker describes a survey of his students of which “More than 85% of them pull all-nighters… The most common reason my students give for pulling all-nighters is a cram for an exam.” When he compared the MRIs of his students who pulled all nighters and those who got a good night sleep before an exam, he found “there was a 40 percent deficit in the ability of the sleep-deprived group to cram new facts into their brain (i.e., to make new memories), relative to the group that obtained a full night of sleep.” Music is a simple and yet powerful tool students can use to improve sleep quality, which is crucial for academic success. Research shows that listening to 45 minutes of relaxing music before falling asleep has a significant improvement in sleep quality. This is not just an improvement in sleep duration, but also the full range of sleep cycles - REM and NREM stages 1-4, which is essential for memory consolidation and learning. There is a dose dependent effect with people experiencing greater benefits after consecutive nights of music listening. Do your brain a favor and listen to some relaxing music before bed and set yourself up for the best possible night of sleep. Read supporting research here: https://lnkd.in/gJBwcmac

We are delighted to share with you an in-depth interview we did with the UCLA Health Journal of Radiation Oncology for their September quarterly issue, "Your Brain on Art - Neuroaesthetics and the urgent case for art." Writer Ciara Shuttleworth brilliantly weaves the concepts of neuroaesthetics through her other interviews in this issue with renowned artists like Kiki Smith, Bruce Springsteen, and Kelly Wearstler. The interview touches on the importance of cultivating an aesthetic mindset in our daily lives to promote flourishing and wellbeing, something that can be accomplished with as little as 20 minutes of curiosity, playful exploration, openness to sensory experience, and making or beholding the arts. It's important to note that benefiting from aesthetic experience doesn't require artistic talent—these powerful experiences are available to everyone. Kiki Smith describes part of her artistic process, "It's not about something - it's about having an experience that engages you." The arts are one of our primary tools to harness the brain's incredible capacity to rewire itself, as Springsteen says "Fundamentally, we're repairmen. Everybody's broken somewhere. You can't get through life without it. You've paid your artists and your filmmakers and your poets and your novelists to be basically your handymen." A powerful way of capturing the saliency-promoting effects of aesthetic experience is by reconnecting to nature, the most aesthetic environment, where humans have spent most of their time on the planet before the modern era. While we cannot return to living most of our lives outdoors in nature, we can bring the qualities of nature into the built environment with biophilic design. Spaces like the Maggie's Centres in the U.K. are glowing examples of what can be done to create sensory-enriched biophilic environments to promote healing. As Kelly Wearstler describes in her interview, "Having a beautiful space that you feel good in, and you just feel like you're loved at home, like that's something. Being loved in your environment, being loved with your experience, having your home give you a visual and functional experiential hug every day makes you... is everything to your longevity and health." Take a moment to enjoy this beautifully assembled tribute to the power of the arts in medicine and our lives—https://lnkd.in/e3-7wCBK Art by Greg Dunn

We're thrilled that Your Brain on Art was included in Nicole Cromwell's Art of Healing boxes for her recent workshop with the Neuro Critical Care Nurses at Stanford University. While much of the focus in healthcare is on patient outcomes, it's crucial to remember that caregivers also benefit greatly from arts-based practices. These practices have been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, fatigue, and more, improving the overall well-being of healthcare workers who endure long hours in stressful environments. Studies funded by Americans for the Arts reveal that hospitals with arts programs report shorter patient stays and reduced staff burnout. With the World Health Organization projecting an 18 million healthcare worker shortfall by 2030, advocating for arts and neuroarts-based design in hospitals is urgently needed for the well-being of our healthcare professionals now and into the future.

Our incredibly talented friend IN-Q, Emmy nominated poet, multi-platinum songwriter, and the best-selling author, has recently published “The Never Ending Now Poetry Journal”. This journal allows writers (experienced and new) to change their story and change their life through the power of poetry. Each chapter, guided by purposeful prompts, invites you to experience, create, and activate. This process enables you to express your truth, serving as a positive outlet for stress relief, self-reflection, and self-expression. Our brains are hardwired for the rhythms and rhymes of poetry, lighting up the right side of the brain, while a poem that truly resonates with us does so at a neurological level by stimulating the areas of the brain that are associated with meaning-making and the interpretation of reality. What better way to make sense of yourself than by exploring your own story, through poetry? https://lnkd.in/gBR8vTRb

On June 1st we were honored to co-host BrainMind: Your Brain on Art in New York City. This event was a gathering of cultural and business leaders, philanthropists, artists, researchers and investors in Neuroarts with the goal to significantly accelerate and move the needle on the emerging field of #neuroarts. Throughout a single day new connections were made, research was shared, and collaboration conversations began. With Your Brain on Art framing the discussions and immersive art experiences spread throughout the program, a vibrant community was created to continue to propel the essential growth of neuroarts to address some of the world's most intractable issues through arts and aesthetic experiences.

Take a deep dive into the latest CNN Mindfulness article -"Do this once a month and extend your life by up to 10 years. No gym required." in which Susan and author Bianca Bosker are interviewed by Jessica DuLong about the transformative power of the arts. Find answers to the following questions and more: Why are the arts found universally across cultures and time periods in every human society when they seemingly don't provide for any of our essential physical needs? Not all artistic experiences are pleasant, coherent, or instill a sense of ease, are these experiences still beneficial? Is special training or artistic ability required to enjoy the benefits of aesthetic experience? What cognitive and physiological benefits do you gain from engaging with the arts? Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gtU-yMmi