Cut your sugar, get some exercise, eat your vegetables, sleep well. Every day, we are surrounded by information about how to live longer, healthier, happier lives. 1[■] It is to engage in the arts.
Over the past few decades, evidence has been increasing to suggest that being more creative works wonders for our health. 2[■] And the results are astonishing, from music in surgery reducing the amount of painkillers and anti-anxiety medicines needed, to dance programs helping people with Parkinson’s disease to walk.
But the arts aren’t just there for us when we are sick. As a public health scientist, I spend my days looking at data from studies—massive datasets that contain thousands of individuals who have completed questionnaires, had nurse interviews, donated blood samples and undergone brain imaging every few years of their lives.
3[■] Using complex statistical methods, we can look at the long-term relationship between everyday arts engagement and dozens of health outcomes.
The results are remarkable. Children who engage more with the arts have a reduced risk of developing problems like depression later in life. Adults who participate more frequently in the arts and visit cultural venues are happier and feel more satisfied with their lives over the years and decades that follow.
4[■] Kindergarteners who engage in music activities have increased prosocial skills as they head into primary school. Teenagers who are involved in bands, dance and editing school newspapers are less likely to get involved in antisocial behaviors or crime.
I want to be clear: I am not suggesting the arts can solve all problems. 5[■] But the evidence remains that engaging regularly in creative activities that you enjoy is an investment in your health that is worth making.