How does Looking at Art Affect the Brain?

Art Therapy

With so much tension and worries that have captivated our minds. It’s is necessary to take our minds away from these tensions. There are various measures and techniques to relax ourselves. But the art therapy is one of the most influential ones. Art therapy had been around with us for ages and people and proves to be one of the best therapeutic to stimulate and influence our minds. 

Art therapy is practiced in various fields by almost every industry like mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational, and forensic institutions. It’s an effective treatment to care for psychological issues related to developmentally, medically, educationally, socially, or psychologically impaired. 

This particular therapy is used as a means to improve cognitive functions, self-esteem, confidence, emotional conflicts. 

Let’s see with an example, 

A child is unable to express his thoughts Verbally rather they try a simpler way to show express that through visual art. Art therapy affects our brain releasing more happy hormones that way we can calm our mind and relax. A man cannot perform the same task every day, it will cause boredom and block our analytical thinking, or in simple terms, we just get more stressed. To make a life more interesting, art therapy act like a booster. It’s wrong to say that art therapy is only for stressed people. People of any age group can try this. Give yourself a little time and enjoy every moment. 

How does looking at art affect the brain?

After a brief information about art therapy, let’s check how does looking at art affects the brain? We know that art enhances our brain functioning. But how? Why we feel good when we see some art like painting, clay modeling, etc. What does our brain do that we automatically feel much relaxed than before? 

Well for that read on to the article and see how does looking at art affects the brain. 

The moment you start looking at art, it affects the brain wave patterns, and emotions, nervous system. Leading to a higher level of dopamine. 

What is dopamine? 

Our body releases many hormones that are required for proper body functioning. One of them is dopamine, it’s the hormone responsible for reward, feeling happiness. 

Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter, Means a messenger.it is formed or released when you get pleasure, reward.  These are uses for the nervous system to send messages between nerve cells. Adequate proportions of dopamine are good for health. There are other hormones like serotonin and adrenaline that work with Dopamine. This feel-good hormone is involved many body functions like blood flow, digestion, executive functioning, heart and kidney function, memory and focus, mood and emotions, motor control. Unique ability of our body to think and plan. 

Read More: How Greed can be Dangerous to our Life?

Coming back to our topic of how looking at art affects our brain. Art can change a person’s outlook and the way they experience the world.

For example, 

A person regularly practicing art is much more healthier than a person who doesn’t give time to these activities. As art regulates our blood pressure, making better body functioning means our brain muscles will work more efficiently than before. 

Give space to your mind

Our mind is full of thoughts, ideas, tensions, and worries. It works 24/7, even when we are sleeping. So, to improve it working we need something that energizes our mind and relax it. That’s what art therapy does for us. Art therapy helps in releasing happy hormones making our minds stronger and healthier.

Concentration power

As you look at art like painting or satisfying video it increases the concerntration level. 

Medium to express yourself

A person who is less expressive are much more likely to express themselves through their visualization means art. They create different art pieces that showcase their emotions and feelings. 

Anyone can Do art

You don’t have to artists to make art. Anything that gives you pleasure is beneficial for you. Try out different arts like painting, sketching, clay modeling, DIY to relax your mind. 

Why is art therapy good for the brain?

You have seen the whole cycle of how looking at art affects our brain. But why it’s important to include art in our Life. 

Art – Improves brain functionality

Barin is the delicate organ and the most important part of our body. The art therapy helps in more levels of happy neurotransmitters. Easily transforms of information between nerves and less tensions on brain muscles. Thus improving our brain functionality.

Art – Increases Focus

Art therapy is widely practiced to improve focus. As art is the cause for relaxing stressful muscles, in a way increasing our focus. 

Art – Increases Productivity

The every to do work becomes boring if we follow the same pattern to complete it. Art therapy helps us to do the task in a creative manner, makes the work more interesting. Use leisure time or short break to implement art in your busy schedule. 

Art – Improved Blood Circulation

Art makes us feel good, gives us motivation due to the release of happy hormones. Eventually, Lowering the tensions on nerves and muscles. And keeping our mind away from negative thoughts and tensions. Thus improving overall blood circulation and a better lifestyle.

What part of the brain does art stimulate? 

Creativity in itself is a reward to the eyes, also important to remain healthy and connected to yourself. Anything that creates imagination and generate signals into the brain is itself an art. 

Art takes us far away from the land we are part of by simply dazzling us with its visual brilliance. 

Did you know that just viewing an art stimulates the brain in long-lasting ways? 

Let’s see it this way. Look at the painting of the person. If we interpret it, it’s just a normal girl sitting. Still, just viewing it the brain recognizes and starts picturing from the canvas, paint, lines, shades. Something in our brain responds when we look at the painting that excites us. Each time you look at the painting the brain is working to make a sense to discern the visuals. Looking at art stimulates the part of the brain that drives joy and pleasure. 

 

Which part is actually stimulated looking at art. The answers to the brain science on viewing art can be found in the realm of science. 

Ventral striatum:

This is an area of the brain present in the center, just above and behind your ears. This part of the brain area plays an important role in how people respond. What’s your mood, how you learn, and address. 

Viewing an art is a peace to the eyes and a reward for the brain. When you look at the painting, this part of the brain stimulates and determines the visual as a reward, that you want more of it. With strong connections with other emotion generators, this region is active during the anticipation of looking to art and produce the most powerful ‘pleasure’ response.

Hypothalamus:

The hypothalamus responds to a variety of signals from the internal and external environment. We get excited and our brains start working differently with all stress and worries left behind when exposed to art. 

Not only looking at masterpieces we feel thrilled and relaxed, the more you are able to stimulate both unconscious and conscious brain functions. Practicing art yourself invigorates the brain in multiple ways that are distinct from just looking at art.

Does art make you smarter? 

Yes, art makes you smarter and intelligent. Even the slightest exposure to art can make a person smart and improve cognitive skills. 

Art has been evolving for years helping from years to develop and reveal their true self. 

In the earlier times,  we can see people learning art forms like painting, sculpting, architecture, and many more. 

As the time is advancing art has also taken new forms, smart people have developed smart ways of doing things. But still, the meaning of art is only the same. Art = creativity. 

Creativity is explaining simple things in unique visual ways. During our childhood days, we were taught how to draw and paint. But as we grow up the activities changed, so the brain. Now we don’t only need art to entertain but to develop creativity. 

As said by Mr. Fineberg, author of books in art, “if you don’t have that creative capacity or develop that capacity to be agile, you’re at survival risk.”

Creativity is important for a person. The more you see the art the more the brains develop the ability to imagine. And the more complex the art, the more your brain digs to decipher it. 

Even when you create a simple painting teaches you how to see clearly, and put what you see down onto paper/canvas.

What we say here is about the opening of the brain. When you see and try multiple things on your own, the perception and observation improves, your brain looks for possibilities, focus, and achievement. 

There are millions of studies on how people behave when their practice art.  

Types of art therapy you can engage in

If you are dealing with stress and losing focus, all you need is some change. Change in your lifestyle. First, change the diet, which includes fruits and veggies, and next your working style. 

Doing the same things on and on decreases your thinking ability. Creating art is the easiest method to solve problems and relieve stress. This is because art is a good distraction from your old usual thoughts. 

Art therapy is the modern-day therapy with professional techniques to provide people an outlet for expression. The process is simple like we teach our children to draw and paint etc. 

If as an adult you find it hard to express your emotions, feeling isolated, suffering from chronic illness art therapy is the best of the ways. There are many benefits to just looking at art and the more with doing it. 

So let’s get to some of the therapies you can choose from. 

• Painting

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Painting is limitless. Paint whatever you want. It helps you heal from mental traumas and gives you a great sense of moral freedom. 

 

• Drawing

Well, the purpose of art therapies is not to create artists but to create an expression of thoughts. 

 

• Photography

Photography is associated with visualizing memories to create a digital framework. 

 

• Sculpting

Constructing dimensional view of the imagination. 

 

• Textiles

Textiles art therapy is used to increase fine motor skills. 

• Digital art

Digital art is using designing tools to create and manipulate images. 

 

Art therapies help people to express thoughts and emotions they feel difficult to speak about.