Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives

ISBN: 1250364531

Author: Fancourt, Daisy

Condition: New

Shortlisted for the 2026 Womens Prize for Non-FictionA groundbreaking exposé showing how the arts-alongside diet, sleep, exercise and nature-are the forgotten fifth pillar of healthFrom cradle to grave, engaging in the arts has remarkable effects on our health and well-being. Music supports the architectural development of childrens brains. Artistic hobbies help our brains to stay resilient against dementia. Dance and magic tricks build new neural pathways for people with brain injuries. Arts and music act just like drugs to decrease depression, stress, and pain, reducing our dependence on medication. Going to live music events, museums, exhibitions, and the theater decreases our risk of future loneliness and frailty. Engaging in the arts improves the functioning of every major organ system in the body, even helping us to live longer.This isnt sensationalism, its science: the results of decades of studies gathering data from neuroimaging, molecular biomarkers, wearable sensors, cognitive assessments, and electronic health records. From professor Daisy Fancourt, an award-winning scientist and science communicator and director of the World Health Organizations Collaborating Centre for Arts and Health, this book will fundamentally change the way you value and engage with the arts in your daily life and give you the tools to optimize how, when, and what arts you engage in to achieve your health goals. The arts are not a luxury in our lives. They are essential.