May 19, 2022 — Art stimulates the brain in manifold ways. Whenever you look at a work of art, your brain is trying to make sense of the visual information it is receiving. In addition to the brain’s ability to make sense of what we see, the brain actually undergoes changes when we look at a beautiful piece of art. On the other hand, art imaging stimulates certain areas of the brain, as has been found in neuroimaging studies using functional MRI. A recent study was designed to see if the production of visual art improves the functional interaction of the brain.
As a recent study found, creating fine art can actually change the wiring of the brain, improving areas that help us cope with stress. A new cognitive study from Germany shows that “the production of visual arts improves effective communication between parts of the brain”. The study attributes the creation of fine art to increased functional connectivity of the brain and greater activation of the visual cortex. This is because art can improve cognition by strengthening and even creating new neural pathways in the brain, helping the brain adapt and stay healthy.
Viewing and creating art can promote creativity and can help your brain in general. Understanding how to look at art allows you to get the most out of the experience by keeping your brain active and engaged. There is no doubt that both looking at and creating art is a cognitive function, and the brain plays an important role in this. In terms of artistic creation, it helps stimulate all sorts of connections between different parts of your brain.
The work goes through a process known as embodied cognition, in which mirror neurons in the brain translate things like movement, movement, and energy that you see in art into reality that you can feel emotion. No one specific brain area is capable of creating art, as artists continue to create art even after suffering varying degrees of brain damage. This suggests that multiple regions of the brain and neural pathways may be responsible for the ability to create art.
In fact, the researchers found an increase in blood flow to the brain’s reward center when 26 participants drew artwork. A recent study found that a group that spent ten weeks creating artwork showed “significant improvement in psychological resilience” (attributed to aging) as well as higher levels of functional brain connectivity. After comparing the tests, a group led by neurologists Anna Bolwerk and Christian Meihofner noted a “significant improvement in psychological resilience” as well as an increase in “functional connectivity” in the brains of the members of the visual arts production group. production group.
In another example of how art stimulates the brain, researchers liken making art to exercising the brain and even suggest that just as exercise helps the body, making art can help keep a clear and lucid mind in old age. Art can also be good for the aging brain, and making art requires visualization and memory practice, making drawing and painting the perfect activity to combat the development of memory impairments in old age.
Cited Sources
- https://www.uagc.edu/blog/how-looking-at-art-can-help-your-brain 0
- https://www.jerrysartarama.com/blog/making-art-can-change-your-brain-for-the-better-says-science/ 1
- https://continuingstudies.uvic.ca/arts/news/how-arts-benefits-us-all-as-humans 2
- https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms-in-education/resource/does-art-boost-a-students-critical-thinking 4
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-art-changes-your-brain_n_5567050 5
- https://artfromthestreets.org/blogs/news/positive-benefits-of-creating-art 6
- https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/11/795010044/feeling-artsy-heres-how-making-art-helps-your-brain 7
