Can Art Improve Your Life?

‘The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.’

                                                       Pablo Picasso Artist

Do you enjoy going to art exhibitions, to the theatre and concerts, or simply reading a really well written book; or do you have a hobby like photography, painting, literature, playing an instrument, pottery or sewing. Or do you think that you to not have a creative streak and that the arts and crafts have nothing to offer? Whatever your situation, you may be surprised by some of the revelations in today’s post.

Why art contributes to our well-being

We humans appear to have an essential need for exploration and for following our personal creative impulses.^1,2 There is evidence that the early humans (Homo errectus) have already engaged in creative activities at least 200,000 years ago, well before modern humans (Homo sapiens) evolved.²

There is also growing evidence that the arts and creative activities have a very positive influence on our mental well-being and physical health.^3,4 This beneficial effect has been demonstrated for visual arts, music, literature, poetry, performing arts, as well as crafts and design, and includes the ‘passive’ appreciation of art as well as the active participation in a creative process.

There are many reasons why art has such a positive effect on us, including:^2-6

• Engaging in arts evokes positive emotions due to experiencing awe and appreciation of beauty, as well as evoking interest, fascination and curiosity, and sometimes even amusement and humour. We may also experience flow, a highly pleasurable feeling, which occurs when we are so deeply absorbed in an activity that we lose the sense of time and self-consciousness. There is strong evidence that experiencing the various forms of art (be it passively or actively) can reduce stress and physical pain.  
• Engaging in art can also be intellectually challenging, and helps us seeing new perspectives. Learning new skills, leaning or creating something, which is meaningful to us also gives us an opportunity for goal pursuit, to feel pride (for positive achievement), and it can give us a sense of increased self-esteem, quality of life and empowerment/sense of control. It can also give us a sense of expansion and growth, which makes us feel good (as we learnt in the last post).
• Art stimulates our imagination and reflection; it can encourage us to enter an inner dialog with ourselves and express emotions, which we find otherwise difficult to express. Deep and nuanced feelings may be communicated through metaphors and imagery rather than explicit words. Similarly, we may find it easier to access painful memories through art. In this way, art can help us to build an identity and can be a safe and healthy vehicle of expression and cathartic release. 
• Art is in itself a way of communication, but the connective potential goes even further: Through art we can connect to likeminded people, exchange views and enjoy experiences together, so that it helps to decrease feelings of social isolation, increase social cohesion and dialog. In a larger social context, art can give us a sense of (cultural) belonging.
• Engaging in arts keeps us active; some forms, such as dancing, can even be physically challenging and keep us fit.

So in summary, arts and creative crafts can improve our well-being by giving physical, psychological, spiritual and social support.

Individual differences

Although the evidence suggests that there are general benefits of artistic engagement as mentioned above, there are some individual differences. It has been shown that the personality trait of ‘Openness’ is strongly associated with engagement in artistic and cultural activities.^7,8 Openness can be broadly described as the ability to form creative mental associations. However, Openness can be further divided into ‘Openness for new experiences‘ (= increased perception, fantasy, appreciation of aesthetics and emotions) and ‘Intellect’ (= the ability for abstract and divergent thinking). It has been shown that it is predominantly the trait of Openness for new experiences which predicts successful engagement in artistic creative activities while Intellect has been shown to be associated with creative scientific achievement.⁸

It has also been shown that for people who score higher on Openness to experience (rather than Intellect), the sensation of novelty is particularly stimulating and leads to a sense of pleasure and interest.⁶

However, although these individual differences may cause a stronger or weaker intrinsic interest for creative activities, the benefits of arts and crafts can be enjoyed by anybody.

When and how can we use art to increase our well-being

Arts and creative crafts in the widest sense can be helpful in pretty much any situation.

When we are healthy, art can help us by simply increasing well-being, decreasing stress and preventing disease,^2-3 but the important role of art as a form of therapy has also been increasingly recognized.^2-5 The arts have been shown to be helpful in a variety of mental diseases from anxiety disorders and depression over post traumatic stress disorder to dementia. But there is also evidence that they can aid recovery from physical illness. For example, hospital discharge times and physical pain can both be reduced by music and visual arts, and singing can help with the management of chronic respiratory conditions. It has also been shown that art can be very valuable to people with terminal illness as it can also be a vehicle of spiritual legacy: Creating artwork is a way of communicating with others and sharing ideas even beyond the point of our death.

There is a huge diversity in the types of creative activities including literature/poetry and creative writing, theatre and drama, dance, music, visual arts and crafts, new media, architecture, design, film and combined arts; even gardening and creative cooking are by some considered to belong into the arts in the widest sense.²

Within each group there is again a huge choice. For example, music may be enjoyed in a concert or by listening to CDs or the radio, or we may sing (alone or in a choir) or play an instrument (again either alone or in a band or an orchestra). Visual arts may be enjoyed in galleries or museums, at our place of work or in our homes, or we may paint, draw, or sculpture. We can also take up courses such as textile arts, pottery/ceramics, painting, sculpturing, expressive dance, photography and filming or creative writing. 

How to release your inner artist

One of the big problems when we start getting involved in creative activity is excessive self-criticism and being overly focused on the outcome. So here are some tips on how to make your engagement in art an enjoyable activity so that you can ‘wash the dust off your soul’:

• Do not just assume that you have no talent. There is such a huge variety in the arts that there truly is a niche for everybody. Like with everything else in life, you will improve with time and practice.
• Whatever activity you choose, try to have an open mind and focus on the process, rather than the result. Don’t overthink your results and allow self-censoring particularly in the early stages. Experiment, explore and have fun. Go out to museums, galleries, the theatre, concerts, nature and meet people to find inspiration.
• Do not compare yourself with others- this is about you having a good time with your hobby, not a competition.
• Also, although other people are mostly very supportive of the artistic aspirations of others, you may encounter some fun-spoilers from time to time. Try not to listen to unconstructive external criticism. In a way, the nice thing about art that everybody can have their own opinion and beauty truly lies in the eye of the beholder. If you enjoy it, then it is good enough!
• If you are a complete novice, it can certainly help to take up a course. I have found that learning a new skill is often more about having a good teacher rather than about talent. Also, the creative process can be more dynamic in a group, as you can learn from each other and bounce ideas around.

The creative process is complex and of course it depends to a degree on the type of activity. Despite the vital role that creativity has played throughout human history (from scientific inventions through to artistic creation) there is still a lack of knowledge about how exactly creative thinking occurs.⁹

As mentioned in the previous post, creativity is associated with the cooperation and integration/effective communication of both hemispheres of the brain.^1,2 More specific brain-related factors, which have been suggested to contribute to creativity are variations in the composition of tissue in different brain areas (e.g. greater amount of grey matter in the prefrontal cortex), greater functional contribution of the right hemisphere (which is more closely associated with the processing of emotions, images and metaphors, and non-linear/divergent thinking), and alpha brain wave activity to name just a few.²

No matter what exactly happens in our brains, there are a few things, which have been shown to increase our creative potential, including: positive emotions, having unfocused thinking time and giving yourself room to play, diversifying and exposing ourselves to new experiences as well as mindfulness practices.^10-12  

Further information on the web

Here are a few further resources on the topic of art and creative thinking:

• The BBC website has a great webpage, supporting the notion that art is a journey that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of age, gender or ability: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z842xnb#zwkxtfr
• In his highly entertaining TED lecture, organizational psychologist Adam Grant examines the question what we can learn from creative and original thinkers. His research on the topic has shown some very interesting and amusing points about the creative process. https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grant_the_surprising_habits_of_original_thinkers
• Brene Brown is best known for the TED talk about vulnerability, which has featured in this blog earlier in the year, but she has also given an interesting lecture about creativity and how to deal with critics, including the one inside yourself: http://99u.com/videos/20052/brene-brown-stop-focusing-on-your-critics

Preview:  I hope that this post has helped to demonstrate the importance of art in our lives, and that it may have inspired you to take up a new hobby. Next week we are going to discuss the very important but often overlooked skill of seeing the funny side of things- whether it is when we are learning a new skill or something goes wrong in our daily lives.

References and further reading:

1. Siegel D. Mindsight: Transform Your Brain with the New Science of Kindness. Oneworld Publications; Oxford, UK. 2011.

2. All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing Inquiry Report (2017). Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing. Retrieved from: http://www.artshealthandwellbeing.org.uk/appg-inquiry/

3. Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project (2008). Final Project report. The Government Office for Science, London. Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/292450/mental-capital-wellbeing-report.pdf

4. Robotham D, Morgan K, James K. Learning for Life: Adult learning, mental health and wellbeing. Mental Health Foundation. London. 2011. Retrieved from: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/learning-life-adult-learning-mental-health-and-wellbeing

5. Secker J, Spandler H, Hacking S, Kent L, Shenton J. Art for mental health’s sake. Mental Health Today. 2007;July/August:34-36.

6. Fayn K, MacCann C, Tillopoulos N, Silvia PJ. Aesthetic emotions and aesthetic people: Openness predicts sensitivity to novelty in the experiences of interest and pleasure. Frontiers in Psychology. 2015;6:1877.

7. Nettle D. Personality: What makes you the way you are. Oxford University Press; New York. 2007.

8. Kaufman SB, Quilty LC, Grazioplene RG, Hirsh JB, Gray JR, Peterson JB, DeYoung CG. Openness to experience and intellect differentially predict creative achievement in the arts and sciences. Journal of Personality. 2016;84(2):248-258.

9. Abraham A. Promises and perils of the neuroscience of creativity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2013;7:246.

10. Fredrickson BS, Cohn MA, Coffey KA, Pek J, Finkel SM. Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2008;95(5):1045-1062.

11. Seppälä E. The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success. Piatkus; London, UK. 2016.­­

12. Kabat-Zinn J: Full Catastrophe Living: How To Cope With Stress, Pain and Illness Using Mindfulness Meditation. Piatkus. 2013.

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