"A groundbreaking book on the science behind humanity, joy, creativity and art:  the word we use for the magic that makes us better." -- Seth Godin 

What is art? In "Your Brain on Art" authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross show how activities from painting and dancing to expressive writing, architecture are essential to our lives. They offer a  new understanding about how the arts and aesthetics can help us transform traditional medicine, build healthier communities, and mend the planet.

The arts can deliver potent, accessible, and proven solutions for the well-being of everyone. Magsamen and Ross offer compelling research that shows how engaging in an art project for as little as forty-five minutes reduces the stress hormone and just one art experience per month can extend your life by ten years. They expand our understanding of how playing music builds cognitive skills and enhances learning; virtual reality can provide cutting-edge therapeutic benefit; and interactive exhibits dissolve the boundaries between art and viewers, engaging all of our senses and strengthening memory. Doctors even prescribe museum visits to address loneliness, dementia, and other health concerns.

Featuring conversations with artists such as David Byrne, Renée Fleming, and evolutionary biologist E. O. Wilson, "Your Brain on Art"  is an authoritative guide to neuroaesthetics.

Hardcover, 280 pages