Your Brain on Art | Susan Magsamen, PhD and Ivy Ross

The Doctor's Art

There is an increasing body of scientific evidence demonstrating a phenomenon humans across cultures have long known intuitively: we are biologically wired for art. Engaging in the arts transforms our neural circuitry in deep ways that we are only beginning to uncover, and studies are showing how the arts can help us live longer, stave off cognitive decline, reduce our stress hormones, nurture the development of young minds, reduce the impacts of PTSD, and more.

Joining us in this episode are two individuals at the forefront of the movement to translate this groundbreaking research to medicine, public health, education, the workplace, and other real world applications. Susan Magsamen is the director of the International Arts and Mind Lab at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where her research focuses on how our brains respond to artistic experiences. Ivy Ross is an acclaimed jewelry designer and Vice President of hardware design at Google. Together, they coauthored the 2023 New York Times best seller Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us.

Over the course of our conversation, Susan and Ivy discuss the emerging field of neuroaesthetics, how the arts can make us healthier, smarter and happier, and how we can incorporate more art into our everyday lives.

In this episode, we discuss:

2:40 - How Susan and Ivy’s paths led them to neuroarts

7:46 - What does it mean to be in a “flow state”?

15:12 - An introduction to neuroaesthetics and neuroarts

18:33 - Surprising impacts the arts have on health

25:58 - The health benefits of creating art in community

29:51 - What “aesthetics” means in the context of Susan and Ivy’s studies

33:53 - The science behind how the arts support healing

39:45 - Practical tips for someone who wants to begin engaging with art

46:32 - Dispelling the myth of “high art vs low art”

Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross are the co-authors of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us (2023).

Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross can be found on Instagram at @yourbrainonartbook.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

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