Recently, we’ve witnessed the rise of art therapy, and we hear more and more frequently that art can benefit mental health. What exactly happens in our brains when we consume and create art, and how can this neuroscience inform our understanding of how art can be used to heal? Let’s look at a few studies that aim to answer this question…
What happens when we consume art?
In a 2004 study, Semir Zeki found that when people viewed well-known paintings, an area of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex was activated. The orbitofrontal cortex involves sensory integration, decision-making, emotional processing, and reward responses. For these individuals, viewing art not only stirred up emotions—it allowed them to access higher-level processing networks in their brains.
Further, in a 2012 study, Edward Vessel showed his participants over 100 well-known paintings and asked them to rank how moving they found each one on a scale of 1 to 4 (4 being the most moving). People differed in terms of which paintings they preferred, but when everyone viewed pieces they had ranked as 4s, the same areas of their brains were activated: the default mode network (DMN). The DMN is associated with self-reflection and recollection of memories. So, while there may not always be a consensus on what “good” art is, people who experience deep emotional reactions to art display similar patterns of brain activity. When we engage with art, therefore, we are also better equipped to engage with ourselves.
The Benefits of Creating
Creating art also has a significant impact on the brain. In a 2000 study, Robert Solso and his colleagues compared the brain activity of a professional artist to that of a non-artist while drawing faces. Both people displayed activity in a brain area associated with facial recognition (known as the facial fusiform area (FFA)). Interestingly, though, activity in this area was greater in the non-artist. The artist, by contrast, had greater activity in brain regions associated with higher-level visual associations and interpretations. From this, we see that as people acquire more artistic practice, their brains develop more efficient shortcuts for creative processing. When sketching a portrait, they do not just see a face; they can fully indulge in the thoughts and feelings that creating such a work of art can evoke.
Additionally, drawing and painting activate a reward pathway in the brain. When this reward pathway is activated, dopamine (the chemical most closely linked to motivation and pleasure) surges throughout the brain. A 2017 study by Grijia Kaimal examined both artists and non-artists who completed three visual arts tasks: doodling, coloring, and free drawing. During all of these tasks, participants exhibited heightened activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a brain region involved in emotional regulation and sensory processing. This suggests that making art can be a rewarding experience and improve emotional well-being for anyone, not just artists.
The Rise of Art Therapy
Creating art in a therapeutic context allows patients to externalize troubling feelings, and it has proven especially effective in children. The foundations of art therapy lie in the assumption of neuroplasticity—the idea that the brain can quite literally be restructured by experience. Art therapy sessions typically begin with art-making and end with a discussion of the artistic process between the therapist and the client.
A common misconception about art therapy is that the art itself should help people express internal conflicts directly. However, in 2012, Ellen Winner and Jennifer Drake found that art-making is actually more effective when used as a form of distraction. To test this, they presented children with a sad film clip after having them complete a mood inventory. Afterward, half of the children were asked to create a drawing reflecting their feelings about the film, while the other half was asked to draw an arbitrary object such as a house. The children then completed the same mood survey as they had before tackling the drawing task. Across all the children, those who engaged in the “distracting” art task — that is, those who drew neutral pictures — experienced a much more significant elevation in mood. This highlights that the purpose of art therapy is not to create images of one’s feelings but to provide them with a creative outlet that indirectly alleviates negative emotions.
In conclusion…
The cognitive and emotional benefits of consuming and creating art demonstrate that cultivating our creativity is crucial, and art therapy has a promising future. Art facilitates communication — not only between people but within individuals.
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