“Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.” ~John Lubbock (1834-1913), “The Pleasures of Life.”
I don’t know how it started; it seems and feels innate that I’ve been drawn to art since I was young. I remember enjoying colouring books, doing various arts and crafts, and being active in performing arts (I used to sing, dance, and act in theatre) until freshman year in college.
But as I grew older, I became more and more disconnected from it. I stopped creating. I stopped performing. Instead, I focused more on “what responsible adults do” – finish college with good grades, get a good job, pursue graduate school, climb the corporate ladder, pay bills, and chase society’s standard of success. With a busy schedule and all of life’s stresses, unless you’re an artist by profession, who has time to prioritise creating or appreciating art?
When I took a career break a few years ago to focus on healing my mental and physical health, I started rekindling my love for the arts; I became drawn to creating and appreciating it once more.
I started engaging in the arts again through colouring books, going to the opera, attending music concerts and musical theatre and exploring museums. I also dabbled in photography and crafts, sang and danced in the shower and my room while listening to my favourite music (yes, private solo sing and dance party counts too!), and now, I’m also enjoying writing and painting.
And I realised that the more I incorporate art into my life, the more I felt alive. And a few years back, that’s something that I haven’t felt in a long time – to feel fully alive again. I also felt calmer, more relaxed, and appreciative of all the beauty surrounding me that I didn’t notice before. I felt happier, more grateful, and less stressed and depressed.
It turns out there’s science behind the benefits that I felt from incorporating more art or creative self-expression in my life. Science validates why it had a tremendous positive impact on my health and wellbeing.
I realised that the more I incorporate art into my life, the more I felt alive. I also felt calmer, more relaxed, and appreciative of all the beauty surrounding me that I didn’t notice before. I felt happier, more grateful, and less stressed and depressed.
Just a note: for this blog, I’ll be referring to any form of creative expression, as well as engaging, appreciating, and immersing yourself in any form of creative endeavours, as Art.
The health and wellbeing benefits of Art
- Art can make you happy
Participating in the creative arts has been found to increase levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter that helps in regulating our mood and emotion. Because of its involvement in regulating mood and emotion naturally and promoting positive emotional wellbeing, it’s also known as a “happy hormone”.
Why is increasing levels of serotonin in the brain important? It’s because there’s a link between low levels of serotonin and depression. Thus, we want to have a healthy amount of serotonin to feel happy, which art can help us with.
- Art is a stress reliever
Aside from increasing serotonin levels, or “happy hormones” in the brain, creative activities can decrease cortisol levels in our body.
Also known as a “stress hormone”, cortisol is released whenever we experience stress. Although the right amount of cortisol in the body is needed and beneficial, having high levels due to chronic stress is detrimental. It can cause mental and physical ailments such as depression, anxiety, digestive problems, heart disease and sleep problems.
By lowering cortisol levels in our body, making and experiencing art make us feel calm and relaxed.
- Art can improve your physical health and immune system
A study has found that listening to music may help our immune system function better. This is because music positively affects certain parts of the brain, such as the amygdala and hypothalamus (part of the limbic system that regulates mood and the body’s inflammatory response).
Aside from listening to music, another way art can help us have a healthier immune system is through experiencing positive emotions, particularly awe.
Awe is a positive emotion that we feel when touched by an art, marvel at the beauty of nature, or looking at a sunset. Researchers at UC Berkeley have found that experiencing this positive emotion is linked to lower levels of proteins called pro-inflammatory cytokines (high levels of this inflammatory marker is associated with depression and stress). Although feeling awe may not be the direct cause of this benefit, the association is strong enough to say that when we frequently experience awe, it may improve our immune system and overall physical health.
If movement is something that you enjoy more than observing an artwork or nature, then perhaps you’ll benefit the most from dancing. This form of art helps us stay fit and improves our blood pressure and triglyceride levels, preventing cardiovascular disease.
In the United Kingdom, various programs offer “arts on prescription” (a program wherein different types of creative arts are used in conjunction with medical care, as prescribed by doctors). It’s incredible how such a program resulted in a 37% decrease in general practitioner consultation and lowered hospital admissions by 27%. It goes to show that art truly has healing power!
- Art is good for your mental health
Fortunately, what benefits our physical health also benefits our mental health. On top of all the physical benefits of art that can also positively affect our mental health, it can also help us process our emotions.
Making art is an alternative to speaking and writing when it’s difficult for us to express our emotions. Doing so also brings about a healthy form of emotional release that can make us feel better.
Whenever we create, observe, experience and enjoy art, we focus on the present moment. This form of mindfulness practice is good for our mental health because it can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Art is beneficial to your brain
Due to its capacity to trigger neuroplasticity (our brain’s ability to grow, reorganise and form new connections), art is now a healing modality used to help patients who experienced traumatic brain injuries and stroke recover. However, even if you have a healthy brain, you will still benefit from neuroplasticity.
Aside from activating positive brain changes through neuroplasticity, art can also improve our focus and memory, which is beneficial for learning and other tasks that need deep focus and sharp memory.
The good news is, you don’t have to be an artist to benefit from art. You don’t even have to create anything if you don’t feel inclined to. Simply savouring, experiencing, participating or immersing yourself in the beauty you see and emotions you feel evoked by art (such as going to museums and theatre, for example) will benefit your health and wellbeing.
So if you would like to heal and be happier and healthier, why not include more art in your life?
As for me, with or without scientific evidence of its benefits, I’ll continue to live my life creating and appreciating art. Because creative living has helped me heal and brought me back to life — and that’s something I can never live without.
Key Takeaway
Art is an integral part of healing, maintaining good health and wellbeing, and human flourishing. Everyone benefits from participating in various forms of creative expression, not just artists. Some of the benefits of engaging in the arts or creative self-expression are feeling happier, less stressed, better mental and physical health and a healthier brain.
Now it’s your turn
- Reflection: When was the last time you created something just for the sake of creating or because you find it enjoyable? When was the last time you felt awe, and what brought about that feeling?
- Action step: Make a piece of art (any form of creative self-expression), or observe and savour an artwork. While doing so, focus on the present moment – how does it make you feel?
Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment below and share what you’ve learned or how this post helped you gain insights into the connection between art and wellbeing? Also, share what forms of art or creative self-expression do you enjoy the most and why?