Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

Being a psychology major, I am often exposed to many topics that involve neuroscience, consciousness, unconsciousness, dream analysis, and many other topics that are involved in this week's topic of the convergence of Neuroscience and Art. One aspect of art, which includes imaging of the brain through high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging, is being used by scientists to make connections to the behaviors of humans. For example, researchers at UCLA have found connections between increasing brain size and meditation through the use of brain scanning and MRI's. Eileen Luders states, "We know that people who consistently meditate have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability and engage in mindful behavior. The observed differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue why meditators have these exceptional abilities. This is just one way that neuroscience are being studied here at UCLA.

After reading parts of Gardner's "Art Mind and Brain: A Cognitive Approach to Creativity", it is clear that there are many artists who have shaped the way art is viewed in terms of neuroscience and psychology. One person in particular, philosopher and cognitive scientist Noam Chomsky, had a large impact on the way we view art in terms of and in combination with the sciences. Gardner's essay describes the work of Chomsky and his complex idea systems, but what I found interesting is Chomsky's view on artists and scientists in an interview. Chomsky states, "Further progress in music or mathematics requires a scientist or artist with an unusual heredity" (Gliedman). Chomsky believes that there is a certain aspect of art that goes into any field of science, and it requires a person with a particular quirk of mind to understand certain artistic fields such as music or physics. I agree with Chomsky on this theory and I think it is an important part of how neuroscience and the brain works with the arts. 

Another interesting topic of neuroscience and art is the topic of art therapy. Incorporating the fields of art and psychotherapy, "art therapy" is being used by mental health institutions and many other settings as a way of using the transference process between the therapist and a client who makes art, allowing self expression and symbolic art to serve as a form of therapy for patients suffering from different mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, autism, or depression. According to Kukasz Konopka in an article titled "Where art meets neuroscience: a new horizon of art therapy", art therapy was originally recognozed as the process of art-making that allowed one to reframe experiences, but recently, "Art therapy has gained popularilty because it combines free artistic expression with the potential for significant intervention" (Konopka). Art therapy has helped patients with different disorders, whether they are developmental, medical, or psychiatric conditions.

Sources

"Things No Amount of Learning Can Teach." Interview by John Gliedman. Chomsky.info. N.p., Nov. 1983. Web. 16 May 2015. <http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/198311--.htm>.

Gardner, Howard. "Art, Mind, And Brain: A Cognitive Approach To Creativity." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2015.

Konopka, Lukasz M. "Where Art Meets Neuroscience: A New Horizon of Art Therapy." Croatian Medical Journal. Croatian Medical Schools, Feb. 2015. Web. 16 May 2015.

Wheeler, Mark. "How to Build a Bigger Brain." How to Build a Bigger Brain. N.p., 12 May 2009. Web. 16 May 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience, Pt. 2" Lecture. Youtube. 17 May 2012. Web. 16 May. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFv4owX3MZo

Photos

Healing Traumatized Kids through Art Therapy. Digital image. Secure Teen. N.p., 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 May 2015.

Shetterly, Robert. Noam Chomsky. Digital image. Americans Who Tell The Truth. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2015.

Art Improves Health & Well Being. Digital image. Craftlantis. N.p., 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 May 2015.