Your Brain on Art

How the Arts Transform Us

De: Susan Magsamen, Ivy Ross

Narrado por: Ellyn Jameson

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A life-altering, science-backed exploration of the healing power of art, which has now been proven to help lower stress, supercharge learning and creativity, extend your lifespan, and combat loneliness.

“This book blew my mind!”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit

A BLOOMBERG BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • Finalist for the Inc. Non-Obvious Book Award and the Porchlight Business Book Award

What is art? Many of us think of the arts as entertainment—a luxury of some kind. In Your Brain on Art, authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross show how activities from painting and dancing to expressive writing, architecture, and more are essential to our lives.

We’re on the verge of a cultural shift in which the arts can deliver potent, accessible, and proven solutions for the well-being of everyone. Magsamen and Ross offer compelling research that shows how engaging in an art project for as little as forty-five minutes reduces the stress hormone cortisol, no matter your skill level, and just one art experience per month can extend your life by ten years. They expand our understanding of how playing music builds cognitive skills and enhances learning; the vibrations of a tuning fork create sound waves to counteract stress; virtual reality can provide cutting-edge therapeutic benefit; and interactive exhibits dissolve the boundaries between art and viewers, engaging all of our senses and strengthening memory. Doctors have even been prescribing museum visits to address loneliness, dementia, and many other physical and mental health concerns.

Your Brain on Art is a portal into this new understanding about how the arts and aesthetics can help us transform traditional medicine, build healthier communities, and mend an aching planet.

Featuring conversations with artists such as David Byrne, Renée Fleming, and evolutionary biologist E. O. Wilson, Your Brain on Art is an authoritative guide to neuroaesthetics. The book weaves a tapestry of breakthrough research, insights from multidisciplinary pioneers, and compelling stories from people who are using the arts to enhance their lives.

©2023 Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross (P)2023 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“This book blew my mind! An authoritative yet practical guide to neuroarts—a term that, if you haven’t heard it before, is even more reason to join these brilliant coauthors on a romp through the latest science on how art transforms the brain and the body.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit

“Your Brain on Art will change how you think about the creative world, both around you and within you.”—Charles Duhigg, author of the bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

“This wonderful book demonstrates that art is essential for health, healing, community, and bliss. Your Brain on Art is well researched and well written. I couldn’t put it down.”—Mary Pipher, author of Women Rowing North and A Life in Light

Fascinating

It was a bit dry and hard to follow in places, so I had to go back and re-read some places, but overall a fascinating read.

The advocacy that the arts needs now!

In this digital age we need something more tangible in our lives. Visual, performing and musical arts are much needed in our communities and this book is a testimonial to that. Highly recommend!

Art and your life

An artful way to improve your life and the world around us. I recommend this book to. my adult children.

loaded with good information information. Some great personal stories and a ton of studies, facts backed by scientific studies.

delivery was a little dry but she has a nice soothing voice. I will listen to it many more times.

This Is Your Brain on Art

Art history and art appreciation are interest areas of mine, and I found a lot of fascinating insights in this book regarding the intersection of neurolinguistics and art appreciation. I was aware of some of this work, and now have a deeper understanding of how the human brain and mind interact and can be influenced and nurtured by art generally.

I do have one complaint though, and that is with the sound engineering of the narration. The narrator puts a lot of emotion into her speech, which results in many sentences starting off at an enthusiastic volume and then trailing off with a hush that nears a whisper. This does not come across in many places as listenable in an audiobook, and was somewhat annoying. Narration needs to equalized so that a consistent volume is maintained within a narrow range of hearing, not up-and-down, loud then soft.

So Fascinating!

I’ve been meaning to do a review of this book. I have already personally recommended it to several of my friends. There is so much content in this book, that it’s hard to find a place to begin. The author did an excellent job citing sources and studies. It went into so many topics: chronic pain, ptsd, TBI’s, raising children, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, etc. It gives an in depth look at how the arts (from visual to dance to music) react within and alter the brain. About how living a life full of art effects you. Did you know that even just going to live art events regularly increases your life span? I highly recommend this book.

Inspirational

Many great ideas connected to valuable studies and cohesive stories. Read and reread chapters 4-6. Looking forward to putting these nodes into practice

The Arts Are the Human Part of Us

This is a fabulous overview of research into the value the arts bring to our individual and community life. As a life long artist, arts educator and creativity coach for others seeking to find and build their relationship to creativity this book validated all of my observational experience.

Amazing! Can’t wait to read again!

I loved this book so much. Continuous inspiration throughout. So many interesting case studies and backing to support the arts!

Practical, even utilitarian ways of leveraging art

A fun and easy listen that's inspiring and encouraging. It explores how different usages of art, both consuming and producing art, can alter our mood and open up new possibilities. It makes me want to make crafts and write a story. I also feel hopeful and empowered to learn how I can potentially alter my feelings.

Unlike art, which we can approach with an open mind and exploration. How much you will like this book depends on your expectation. You will find it enjoyable and informative if you want something quick, light, and practical.

On the other hand, although it gives the basic knowledge of the human brain, the discussion focuses more on behavior and psychology than biological or neurological. For example, it describes some case studies of people feeling better (mood) after writing down or drawing out what happened or how they feel (production of art) - the utility of leveraging art. But it doesn't explain why.

If you want to read how colors or sound affect our brain from the biological and neurological perspective, check out "Zero to Birth: How the Human Brain Is Built' by W.A. Harris (2022). If you want to read about your brain's neurological reaction to act, check out "This is your brain on music, the Science of a Human Obsession" by Daniel J. Levitin (2020, expanded edition). If you want to read more on how your brain perceives and reacts to its surrounding, check out "Phantoms in the Brain, Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind" by Sandra Blakeslee, V. S. Ramachandran (2013).