{"id":648,"date":"2015-02-20T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-20T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zippi.co.uk\/thestudio\/?p=648"},"modified":"2017-01-19T16:15:43","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T16:15:43","slug":"8-reasons-art-improves-your-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zippi.co.uk\/thestudio\/8-reasons-art-improves-your-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Reasons Why Art Improves Your Thinking [Infographic]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever been to an art gallery and felt a little out of your depth? Do you see groups of people stood in front of a painting or sculpture and wonder what it is they could possibly be pondering about? Is picking up a paintbrush akin to speaking a foreign language to you? Perhaps it’s time to embrace your artistic side – it could actually make you smarter!<\/p>\n

Getting involved in art in some way, whether that’s learning about it or doing it yourself, really can improve your thinking in several ways, including heightening brain activity, making you more attentive and enhancing your wellbeing. And we’re here to tell you how.<\/p>\n

8 Reasons Why Art Improves Your Thinking [Infographic]<\/h2>\n

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Go on, pick up a paintbrush or pop down to your nearest art gallery and you could improve your thinking and feel smarter in no time at all.<\/p>\n

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Transcript & Sources<\/h2>\n

8 reasons why art improves your thinking<\/p>\n

\u201cBeauty is truth, truth beauty\u201d \u2014John Keats<\/p>\n

Since Plato, the beauty found in art has been synonymous with expanding the intellect.<\/p>\n

But can art have a tangible effect on improving the human mind?<\/p>\n

Thanks to modern science, the positive benefits of art on the brain can now be measured\u2026<\/p>\n

1. It heightens brain activity<\/p>\n

According to: Dana Foundation<\/p>\n

An experiment involving 14 art viewers and a fake Rembrandt showed that scrutinising the value of artwork heightens activity in regions of the brain associated with reward.<\/p>\n

2. It exercises our survival instinct<\/p>\n

According to: Paris Descartes University, University of Geneva<\/p>\n

Viewing art makes the \u2018fight or flight\u2019 part of our brains more responsive to depictions of fear \u2013 an impulse that warned our ancestors of threats.<\/p>\n

3. It develops core skills<\/p>\n

According to: Center on the Developing Child, Harvard; PLOS ONE<\/p>\n

Practising executive function activities such as drawing has been shown to significantly improve reasoning and teamwork skills for children aged 3-5.<\/p>\n

4. It enhances wellbeing<\/p>\n

According to: HL Stuckey, DEd and J Nobel, MD<\/p>\n

Studies suggest that visual arts therapy reduces mental distress in patients. They also indicate that art has significant positive health effects in aiding recovery.<\/p>\n

5. It makes you more attentive<\/p>\n

According to: Dana Foundation<\/p>\n

5 days of artistic activities, for 30 minutes a day, showed significant increases in motivation and attention span among children aged 4-6.<\/p>\n

6. It helps you see the world differently<\/p>\n

According to: NeuroImage<\/p>\n

Scans of 44 artists\u2019 brains show that portions of them are more developed, particularly those parts responsible for fine motor performance and procedural memory.<\/p>\n

7. It increases your creativity<\/p>\n

According to: David Sousa, AASA<\/p>\n

Based on studies of almost 1,500 students, integrating visual and imagined imagery into different learning tasks is shown to increase creativity in discussions, modelling and assessment.<\/p>\n

8. It helps us find meaning<\/p>\n

According to: Paris Descartes University, University of Geneva<\/p>\n

Works of art often contain visual clues and illusions to evoke particular responses, tricking our brains into finding meaning in the arbitrary.<\/p>\n

Art speaks to something primal within us, tapping into our imagination and firing our creative impulses.<\/p>\n

And best of all, doing it and viewing it is proven to make us better, more considerate thinkers.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h2>\n

Blair C., Raver, C. 2014. Closing the achievement gap through modification of neurocognitive and neuroendocrine function: results from a cluster randomized controlled trial of an innovative approach to the education of children in kindergarten. PlOS One<\/em>, 9. plosone.org<\/strong><\/p>\n

Center on the Developing Child. Executive function. developingchild.harvard.edu<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chamberlain, R. et al. 2014. Drawing on the right side of the brain: a voxel-based morphometry analysis of observational drawing. Neurolmage<\/em>, 96. sciencedirect.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

Huang, M. et al. 2011. Human cortical activity evoked by the assignment of authenticity when viewing works of art. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience<\/em>, 134. journal.frontiersin.org<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hogenboom, M. (2014). Artists have \u2018structurally different brains\u2019. bbc.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Landau, E. (2012). What the brain draws from: art and neuroscience. edition.cnn.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

Posner, M. (2009). How arts training improves attention and cognition. dana.org<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sousa, D. (2006). How the arts develop the young brain. aasa.org<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stuckey, H.L. and Nobel, J. 2010. The connection between art, healing, and public health: a review of current literature. American Journal of Public Health<\/em>, 100. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Share this infographic on your site<\/h3>\n

Please include attribution to zippi.co.uk with this graphic.<\/strong><\/p>\n