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NeuroArts Blueprint: Advancing the Science of Arts, Health, and Wellbeing

Research is now confirming what human beings know intuitively: we are wired for art. Because it is innate to human biology, art in all its modalities can help prevent, treat, and recover from physical and mental challenges, as well as foster overall wellbeing. Indeed, the widespread use of the arts can not only transform individual health, but also enhance learning and foster more connected, equitable communities.

Despite its transformative potential, there is not yet an established field to fully realize the power of the arts. Innovators are working across many disciplines and sectors around the globe, and the body of evidence is growing. Yet efforts to build on that evidence, disseminate it, and, critically, to apply it in practice remains nascent. The goal of the NeuroArts Blueprint initiative is to change that, and ultimately to embed the arts into the fabric of mainstream medicine, public health, and more.

The time is right to build the field of neuroarts—defined as the study of how aesthetic experiences and the arts measurably change the brain, body, and behavior and how this knowledge is translated into practices that advance health and wellbeing. Anchored in robust science, innovative arts practices, and cutting-edge technology, the work is advancing on multiple fronts, building capacity and generating broad professional and public enthusiasm for the field.

The endeavor is being led by the NeuroArts Blueprint initiative, a partnership between the Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics and the Aspen Institute’s Health, Medicine & Society Program. Established in 2019, the initiative is co-chaired by Renée Fleming, renowned soprano and arts advisor to the Kennedy Center, and Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, neuroscientist and dean of Academic and Scientific Affairs at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Susan Magsamen, MAS, executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, and Ruth J. Katz, JD, MPH, executive director of the Health, Medicine & Society Program, serve as co-directors. A 25-member Advisory Board, representing a deep bench of leaders engaged in neuroarts-related activities, contribute essential experience, wisdom, and personal and professional networks to drive the field’s development and growth.

Since its launch, the NeuroArts Blueprint initiative has operated at many levels to weave together a community of diverse stakeholders, including researchers across scientific fields; artists and arts practitioners in all disciplines; clinicians, patient advocates, and community activists; public health and education professionals; leaders in business, technology, and entertainment; architects and planners, policy makers and many others.

The NeuroArts Blueprint initiative also has helped to generate and share evidence that music, dance, visual arts, virtual reality, and numerous other art modalities can reduce disease symptoms, improve physical and emotional health, influence brain development, and foster educational achievements associated with health and wellbeing over a lifetime.

In December 2021, we released the NeuroArts Blueprint: Advancing the Science of Arts, Health, and Wellbeing, a comprehensive plan for building a flourishing field. The Blueprint lays out both a strategy and narrative-shifting path to culture change based on five core principles, findings, and recommendations:

Five Principles

  • Experiencing art is fundamental to being human, a common thread across cultures, racial and ethnic backgrounds, age groups, income levels, and skill sets. The arts offer a shared language, a means of elevating diverse voices, and a catalyst for action.
  • The arts, as expressed through many modalities, have demonstrable, evidence-based impacts on physiological and psychological health and wellbeing.
  • Science and technology make possible the ability to understand and measure the biological effects of the arts and aesthetic experiences on individuals and populations.
  • Neuroarts provides the connective tissue to bring together science, the arts, and technology as equal partners to advance health and wellbeing.
  • The benefits of the neuroarts field must be readily, consistently, and equitably accessible to all populations across the lifespan and in every community around the world.

Five Findings

  • The arts and aesthetic experiences impact human biology and behavior in ways that differ markedly from any other health intervention.
  • Preliminary evidence suggests that the neuroarts field provides economic and social benefits.
  • Neuroarts-related activities are everywhere, but they lack a cohesive structure.
  • Now is the moment to cultivate the field of neuroarts.
  • Leadership and community-based engagement are essential for neuroarts to progress.

Five Recommendations

  • Strengthen the research foundation of neuroarts.
  • Honor and support the many arts practices that promote health and wellbeing.
  • Expand and enrich educational and career pathways.
  • Advocate for sustainable funding and promote effective policy.
  • Build capacity, leadership, and communications strategies.

The Blueprint, and the supporting documents in its companion Appendix, describe the scientific and technological advances – imaging capacities, biomarkers, and other noninvasive technologies – that have elevated the role of neuroarts. These revolutionary advances now enable researchers to map and measure what happens as we take in the world through the portals of sound, sight, scent, touch, and taste. These documents also highlight the power and opportunity behind the recognition that the brain is agile, changing nanosecond by nanosecond in response to stimuli, and that art activates the interconnected neuronal networks engaged with reward, motor activity, perception, and the senses.

The Blueprint then lays out a roadmap for putting those findings into practice and policy. It calls for mechanisms that enhance collaboration and the development of a common research vocabulary, standards of practice, and a centralized data repository. Equally vital are networks of government and private sector supporters who understand the power of the arts to advance health and wellbeing for all communities. Other field-building components include training pathways and professional development tracks; dissemination and scaling tools at local, national, and international levels; building broad-based public buy-in; and developing a business case for the use of neuroarts. Policies and funding models that will sustain the field over the long haul are also fundamental to its success.

For more information about the NeuroArts Blueprint report and Appendix, and related project activities, see the NeuroArts Blueprint website: www.neuroartsblueprint.org.