How The Brain Is Affected By Art - Rehabilitation Medicine (2024)

Here at ACRM, one of our interdisciplinary groups is ) and it’s mission is to build awareness for the application of arts and neuroscience in rehabilitation. How does creativity function in the brain? How can it help those working in rehabilitation medicine better serve their patients?

While decades of cognitive-behavioral research has informed our understanding of creativity, there is less rehabilitation medicine in neuroscience to back up these findings. After all, brain research is a young field, and here at ACRM, we’re eager to see where creativity research and neuroscience models go in the future!

In today’s blog post, we’re looking specifically at the linkages between arts, learning, and neuroscience, in order to better understand how practitioners can incorporate art therapy into their rehabilitation medicine practice. Continue reading to learn more and if you’d like to join ACRM or the ANNG group, enroll today!

How The Brain Is Affected By Art

A lot is happening both in the mind and the body when we make art, and it can be used for therapeutic means, both in rehabilitation medicine and on your own. Christianne Strang, a professor of neurosciences at the University of Alabama Birmingham and former president of the American Art Therapy Association says: “Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy, remaining connected to yourself and connected to the world,”

Any type of creative expression allows you to imagine new ways to communicate and engage with the world, as well as engages the brain’s neuroplasticity, helping patients recover from things like traumatic brain injuries or stroke.

Making art is good for everyone, not just our patients in the field of rehabilitation medicine! Here are a few of the benefits and ways the brain is affected by art:

How The Brain Is Affected By Art - Rehabilitation Medicine (1)

Lowers stress

Research in the field of art therapy is still ongoing, but many are finding that engaging in art therapy reduces stress. Creating art can reduce cortisol levels for both those who identify as artists and those who don’t, so no matter your skill level, everyone can benefit from making art.

Deep Focus

Art allows people to enter a “flow state,” or that feeling when you’re in the zone and lose sense of yourself and of time. Making art can help you be more present, and it activates a variety of networks, including relaxed reflective state, focused attention, and pleasure.

Process Emotions

Connecting with art can help anyone decrease anxiety and build coping skills, and for those going through serious distress, a professional art therapist can help to guide the process. Art allows you to express feelings and memories in ways other than words. Making art can be a cathartic experience that provides a sense of relief.

Imagine a More Hopeful Future

The brain is a predictive machine that uses information about what has happened to make decisions about what we need to do next to survive. Creating art allows you to make decisions and interpret images, figuring out what it means and helping you face potential futures as well as imagine better, more hopeful ones.

Art and Neuroscience

There is increasing evidence in rehabilitation medicine and the field of neuroscience that art enhances brain function by impacting brain wave patterns, emotions, and the nervous system. Art can also raise serotonin levels. These benefits don’t just come from making art, they also occur by experiencing art. Observing art can stimulate the creation of new neural pathways and ways of thinking.

In a study conducted by Professor Semir Zeki, chair in neuroaesthetics at University College London, participants underwent brain scans while being shown images of paintings by major artists. The study found that when people viewed the art they thought was most beautiful, blood flow increased by as much as 10% to the reign of the brain associated with pleasure — the equivalent to looking at a loved one.

Art accesses many of the advanced processes of the human brain, such as intuitive analysis, expressivity, and embodied cognition. Artists are often better observers and have better memory, and this may be due to how art affects the brain’s plasticity.

ACRM – American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine

The mission of our non-profit organization is to improve the lives of disabled people, through rehabilitation medicine and research in a variety of fields, including art and neuroscience. Our research groups cover a wide range of topics, from traumatic brain injury to neuroplasticity, sports rehabilitation, cancer, and more.

Our team is proud to work with hospitals, universities, professional and advocacy organizations, and rehabilitation professionals around the world. We have 3,000+ members from more than 65 countries and produce the ACRM Journal. Learn about the benefits of joining ACRM as well as member dues and how to apply. You can also learn more about the ACRM Conference and register for either in person or online here. If you enjoyed this article, learn more from the ).

How The Brain Is Affected By Art - Rehabilitation Medicine (2024)

FAQs

How The Brain Is Affected By Art - Rehabilitation Medicine? ›

There is increasing evidence in rehabilitation medicine and the field of neuroscience that art enhances brain function by impacting brain wave patterns, emotions, and the nervous system. Art can also raise serotonin levels. These benefits don't just come from making art, they also occur by experiencing art.

How does art therapy affect the brain? ›

"It engages both your hands and many parts of your brain in sensory experiences," she says. "Your sense of touch, your sense of three-dimensional space, sight, maybe a little bit of sound — all of these are engaged in using several parts of yourself for self-expression, and likely to be more beneficial."

What part of the brain is affected by art? ›

The Brain's Reaction to Art

When we encounter a piece of art, our brains embark on a complex journey of perception and interpretation. This process involves several key regions: The Visual Cortex: This region at the back of our brain processes visual details, extracting color, movement, and shape from what we see.

How does drawing affect the brain? ›

Strengthens Focus and Strategic Thinking

As we mentioned previously, the act of creating art can actually help to develop and stimulate brain function at any age. This ability to focus on drawing creates muscle memory in the brain which in turn, subconsciously is applied to lesser enjoyed tasks.

What does painting do to the brain? ›

Painting boosts memory recollection skills and works to sharpen the mind through conceptual visualization and implementation. People who frequently use creative outlets such as writing, painting, and drawing have less chance of developing memory loss illnesses, like dementia and Alzheimer's, as they age.

How does art therapy affect mental health? ›

Improve Self-Esteem and Self-Awareness

One of the most compelling benefits of art therapy is its ability to elevate self-esteem and self-awareness. Using a variety of mediums and techniques to create art, individuals are able to channel their emotions into their works.

Why is art therapy so powerful? ›

When combined with talk therapy, art therapy aids individuals in managing intense emotions, fostering self-awareness and self-worth, and decreasing stress and anxiety. This therapeutic approach encompasses a wide range of creative expressions, such as dance, music, drawing, painting, coloring, sculpting and more.

What part of the brain controls art? ›

The nondominant inferior parietal lobule is probably a major “store house” of artistic creativity. The ventromedial prefrontal lobe (VMPFL) is supposed to be involved in creative cognition and the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe (DLPFL) in creative output.

What art of the brain controls emotions? ›

The limbic system, also called the “emotional brain,” is responsible for these emotions. This region is located deep in the middle of the brain and bridges areas in the brain stem. Researchers still have many questions about the brain's role in the wide range of emotions we experience.

What happens in your brain when you see art? ›

Your brain takes over the artist's emotion

When you look at a painting, your brain takes over the emotion that the artist wanted to convey with his work. According to Dick Swaab, this takeover of emotions is caused by the so-called mirror neurons.

Do artists think differently? ›

Artists have structurally different brains compared with non-artists. “Brain scans revealed that artists had increased neural matter in areas relating to fine motor movements and visual imagery. “The research, published in NeuroImage, suggests that an artist's talent could be innate.

Does art release dopamine? ›

So, how does art make you feel? Studies show that just by looking at art you enjoy, your brain may release dopamine to trigger the same feelings as when you're in love, neurologically speaking.

How does art affect cognitive development? ›

Art's role in cognitive and sensory development

They're understanding space, perspective, and dimension—crucial skills that aid in activities like reading maps or solving math problems. Boosting memory and recall abilities: Remembering the color patterns or replicating a drawing sharpens a child's memory.

Can paint cause neurological problems? ›

Heavy solvent exposure is associated with a number of adverse effects including mild cognitive impairment, hearing loss, and sub‐clinical colour vision deficits.

How does art influence thinking? ›

1) Art can broaden your perspective.

When you're able to think creatively it can open you up to finding new solutions you otherwise wouldn't have thought of. “It's like looking at an image upside down, to see it for what it is and not just as the image your eye is “trained” to see.

How does creativity affect the brain? ›

Studies have shown that engaging in creative activities stimulates the brain, increasing neuroplasticity and boosting cognitive function. This can lead to improved memory, increased problem-solving skills, and greater creativity.

Art and brain: insights from neuropsychology ...National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ›

The fundamental cognition behind the arts concerns symbolic and abstract cognition. The biological motivation theory and brain evolution in H. sapiens contribut...
A lot of my free time is spent doodling. I'm a journalist on NPR's science desk by day. But all the time in between, I am an artist — specifically, a ca...
Whereas research has proven the arts develop neural systems that produce a broad spectrum of benefits ranging from fine motor skills to creativity and improved ...

What are the risks of art therapy? ›

Potential negative effects include: Higher levels of stress or anxiety. Surfacing emotions without effectively processing them. Difficulty coping if therapy is abruptly terminated.

Does art therapy release dopamine? ›

Art is therapeutic

Studies also show that creating art stimulates the release of dopamine, a chemical that tells us something is pleasurable—basically it makes us feel happier. Increased levels of this “feel-good” neurotransmitter can be particularly helpful if you are battling anxiety or depression.

How does art therapy help cognitive development? ›

Creative art therapy can help children to improve their cognitive development by providing a creative outlet for problem-solving. It can also assist children in improving their fine motor skills, visual-spatial skills, and problem-solving skills.

How does art therapy heal trauma? ›

Art therapy can help individuals find coping strategies and an internal strength to begin their healing process without having to relive experiences. Individuals can draw on memories through art by using a sculpture or drawing to convey how they are feeling instead of speaking out loud.

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