Why art is good for our wellbeing

The power of why

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born… and the day you find out why” – Mark Twain

Research tells us that art is good for our health. Access to ‘art and culture’ can lead directly to improvements in mental wellbeing, reducing feelings of loneliness, increasing a sense of confidence and even improving efficiency. In times of crisis, we turn to the arts – to books, to music, to film – things that allow us, as our dreams do, to work subconsciously on understanding the world around us, and how we might respond to it. As artists, we might take the opportunity to respond by creating, as well as consuming. And whilst the research on this is less fulsome, everything points to the idea that creating, as much as consuming, has an enormous impact on our overall wellbeing.