WHAT IS NEUROARTS?

As some of you know, one of my dreams and goals is to become a neuropsychologist. This spring has been exceptional taking a break from my 9-5 digital marketing job and going on a few trips to learn more about myself. One afternoon as I stroll through the city center of Cork in Ireland, I obviously can’t pass the bookshop without checking out the latest publications. And there it was: Your Brain on Art! What wait, I thought! This sounds genius. 20 seconds later, my decision to buy that book was made.

Now, neuroarts is an emerging field with the mission to weave arts into mainstream medicine. It studies how arts and the so-called aesthetic experience change our brains, bodies, and behaviours. Personally, I knew and experienced the mental health benefits already years ago and it proved to me to keep my artistic and creative endeavors outside my job. But now, scientific research has been able to confirm: The arts are crucial to our well-being and performance in life! I’m very sure that neuroarts is going to be a fully recognised field of research. The amount of scientific papers is immense, to say the least. And I cannot wait to read through as many studies as possible. A good starting point, however, is the above-mentioned book, making it an easy start to delve into the topic and the research.

Despite the fact that I am absolutely enthusiastic about it, neuroarts is a young and decentralised field that the majority does not know about. I will do my best, sharing more learnings and insights here on Colouresko and being part of the mission to bring a better understanding of the benefits to a brought audience. My special interest is how neuroarts can improve mental health for employees given the increasingly chaotic, ever-changing, and uncertain work environments, but also how it helps individuals with building real inner confidence to navigate through their modern life. This in particular is close to my heart,

The arts are not “soft” nor "a “nice-to-have”. It’s time to demonstrate globally that it’s absolutely needed to take it seriously and incorporate into our daily lives to ensure humankind is still thriving in the near future!

Marie Janine Murmannneuroarts, mental health, scienceComment