Your Brain on Art

This book collected lots of tidbits I'd read about before, as well as introduced a lot of new information. The culminating impact was a renewed appreciation for how important art and creativity are for everyone.

As someone who straddles the sciences and the arts, I devoured this book and loved learning more about why participating in the arts, whether as a creator or a beholder, brings me so much joy.

I had no idea the cells in my heart actively respond to aesthetic stimuli!

It has some great links to recent research in the US on the neurology of creativity and how it’s good for you that I quote in my book. Magsamen and Ross focus on creativity in general, that is painting and drawing which the authors say can extend your life by taking part in just one creative activity a month. That’s a quick win.

I applaud anything that gets the message out to more people about the importance of our creative lives.

This is a fantastic look at the positive effects art has on your brain, all backed by science. Not only does the book make you feel about taking time to enjoy art in every way, but it also reminds you that enjoying art and practicing art are necessities for life.

It helped me understand why and how writing my novel had such a healing effect on me. 

Neurologist Dr. Susan Magsamen and Design Executive Ivy Ross show us what we always suspected, art is good for your brain!

The authors show us the neurological basis for why the arts can have an incredible impact on mental health as well as our general well-being, including learning and memory.

But beyond that, this book is also about creativity, which underlies any form of “making” including tech invention.  I love that they talk about virtual reality and multisensory stimuli in the context of immersive art the same way I talk about immersive technology to enhance human capabilities.