Table of Contents
What is the relationship between art and health?
There is a positive connection between art and mental health—artistic activities such as sculpting, painting, or drawing are known to lower stress levels and promote mental calmness. Creating art takes your mind off of your everyday life and provides a relaxing distraction. Art forces the mind to slow down, to focus on the details, and it helps to block out the mind’s distractions, resulting in people feeling noticeably calmer and less anxious. Art eases anxiety, stress and depression for both patients and care staff. Art shortens patients’ length of stay in hospital. Art reduces patients’ need for painkilling medication. Art increases carer morale. Premeds can leverage art to help patients, too. For example, you can teach individuals with mental health issues how to express their traumas through poetry and art. Additionally, children with physical injuries can use dance in order to improve their coordination. Better connect with patients.
What is arts and health?
What is Arts in Health? Arts in health is a field dedicated to using the power of the arts to enhance health and well-being in diverse institutional and community contexts. There is a positive connection between art and mental health—artistic activities such as sculpting, painting, or drawing are known to lower stress levels and promote mental calmness. Creating art takes your mind off of your everyday life and provides a relaxing distraction. Studies have shown that expression through art can help people with depression, anxiety, and stress. Art has also been linked to improved memory, reasoning, and resilience in aging adults. We’re diving into the powerful impact art can have on your life. The best part is, art is something everyone can participate in. In another study, cognitive neuroscientists found that creating art reduces cortisol levels (markers for stress), and that through art people can induce positive mental states. These studies are part of a new field of research, called neuroesthetics: the scientific study of the neurobiological basis of the arts. Art enhances fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, lateral thinking, complex analysis and critical thinking skills.