Art Cure…
A reflection…
I just finished reading the book Art Cure by Dr. Daisy Fancourt. She is a professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at the University College London. Her numerous accomplishments are listed on the webpage along with her impressive publication record of “over 300 research papers”.
Previously, on August 2025, I wrote about the book Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. Though you may think the books’ content are similar and yes, there are similarities, Art Cure provides a bit more hard data to prove that art indeed has a healing power on our minds and bodies.
At face value, it sounds kind of hocus pocus, right? I mean, we are mostly brought up to believe in medicine, chemicals, and a resistance to embrace simple habits to sustain our well being. However; the work of Dr. Fancourt specializes in precisely how art does have a healing power over our ailments.
There is much she is still trying to investigate, connect, and prove. For instance, she believes that at some later stage in the research development, the investigators will be able to offer a definite guidance about practicing the arts. Similar to the guidelines that are standard for weekly physical activity.
On that note, however, she is emphatic about something: sporadic exposure to art will not provide benefits. The exposure has to be regular and with an eye in the long term effects. Though she provides many examples of clear immediate differences on people before and after an experiential art exposure, these examples are offered as proof of how effective the arts are for our well being.
Dr. Fancourt specifies what she means by “the arts”. She explains that she is referring to all types of arts: music from “classical to hip-hop, ballet to salsa, galleries to graffiti, pottery”, design (all types), photography, museum visits, animations, books, and so on. Though she discusses one caveat: watching TV “is linked to poorer cognitive outcomes…” However, up to “three and a half hours of TV does not seem to cause much cognitive harm”. It also applies to documentaries; no great benefit. That made me happy because I do not like documentaries. Additionally, watching cinema is kind of neutral. No benefits and no harm. Though these days cinema is prohibitively expensive. Her reasoning is that “screens put our brain in our in an odd state—more alert but less focused.” Not to mention the issue of violence content in film which can “be very stressful”, she explains.
One thing I really liked about this book is that though it discusses quite a bit of data, it does it in a narrative form, which makes it easy to read and follow. Dr. Fancourt also starts every chapter with a story from someone she met or worked with for whom the arts had pretty much saved their lives. I do not mean this metaphorically. She provides a story to make these lessons attainable and personal.
So, what did I learn from the book? I am so glad you asked! There are several principles I drew from the book:
Exposure to the arts must be experiential. In other words, it needs to be something we interact with or are immersed in. I think that is partly why the TV and/or cinema do not do much. TV is receiving more than it is interacting. That said, I must say that I am fully bilingual due to two things: my elementary and junior high school teacher who was American and movies. She however, highly recommends the theater. There is a sense of tangibility in the theater unlike in the cinema.
The exposure to the arts has to be sustained over time. It will not work if it is sporadic. It must be regular and consistent. The book Your Brain on Art recommends 20 minutes of any exposure. Dr. Fancourt seems to be less specific on time duration. But she emphasizes that anything one chooses to do must be practiced and nurtured. She repeats this phrase in several of the chapters: “art is a perishable commodity”. Use of lose it.
Do something, touch, sense, feel, listen, move, in short, the discussion seems to suggest immersion. Even a visit to the museum has a different effect than watching artworks in a book. Every time I take a class to a museum, there is always one or two students who had never been and are taken aback by the works. I can understand their deep sense of awe. After all, I experience it constantly. In 2012, I went to Greece for a conference and visited The Acropolis Museum. In it, I saw the statues I had studied in art history books. I could not resist them. I had to touch them. There were cameras and it was forbidden. But for the first time, I could see in person these sculptures from stone with the detailed work on the hair and clothing. I had to feel them.
Dance over plain exercise. Dr. Fancourt’s research suggests that dancing, any dancing, is more effective than simple exercise. She adds, the “benefits of over-and-above are partly because dance also involves music”. And of course, “creativity, imagination, beauty, and aesthetics”. “It is a more holistic way of getting the exercise we need.” That is good news to all of us who believe in movement.
Music. This is one aspect that made an impression on me after reading this book. A case is made for how vital it is to actually sit down to listen to music. She explains that music repressed genes that destroy neurons and “increased the expression of genes involved in beneficial processes such as secreting and transporting dopamine, enhancing the function of synapses in the brain, and creating new neurons”. This is huge. She also provided evidence of a study where randomized groups were assembling a puzzle—a 1,000 piece one. Those who were listening to music showed much less stress levels than those who did not. On the commute back home, maybe instead of listening to the news, tuning in to listen to classical music will be much more effective in decompressing. She adds and provides an examples of how music helps with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
No multitasking. While engaging on any art endeavor but especially when listening to music, actually. She encourages to actually listen to the music instead of using it as a background. I used to do that. My house back home was across the ocean and we had a wall of ornamental blocks. I would climb them with my boom box and sit at the top listening to music and looking at the horizon. My mom would say that I was teaching robbers how to get in. They did get in but not that way. ;-)
This book made me think, a lot. Some things discussed in the book I had incorporated them in my life not knowing their benefit. Like just taking a few minutes to actually listen to music. Or since I was a kid, I would carry a notebook and draw. A habit I lost but I am so glad I recovered. Or dancing, which I have to get back to at some point.
One wonders, with all the evidence—and she presents a lot, why is it so hard to support the arts? The first thing to cut from any budget is the arts. But if the evidence presented by Dr. Fancourt is true, and it seems to be, arts are not a choice. Rather, the arts are biologically wired in us and we are biologically wired to create. It is a necessary outlet that not only provides emotional management skills but also sustains our physical and mental health. Honestly, it is cheaper in the long run.
This is a great book. I had read some reviews and some people found it repetitive. She does repeat things but I believe is necessary so that we remember and start engaging with the arts.
Until next week.
Love,
Alma
PS. No editors still. But as soon as I press submit, I will have the most crystalline image of all my mistakes.
Thanks for sharing the takeaways:) incredibly helpful! your weekly essays bring a breath of fresh air as always.