ART AND THERAPY
Art and Happiness - by Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT in
Arts and Health.
Can drawing, doodling, and painting lead to true happiness?
I am going on the road in the coming weeks to talk about art
therapy and its interface with trauma recovery, mindfulness practices and
resilience-building. In particular, audiences want to know, "Does the
creative process of art making make us happier?" The connection between
artistic creativity and happiness is a slippery topic at best. After all, what
about all those less-than-happy ending stories about artists with depression or
other emotional challenges? Doesn't art come from emotional pain? But there is
a growing body of research that underscores the contrary, that art has a
powerful effect on us in positive ways.
The connection between the creative process of art making
and personal happiness is by no means a new idea. Back in 1996 Psychology Today
published an article, "Capturing Creativity," by Robert Epstein who
enthusiastically extolled the joys of artistic creativity, among other
experiences. Epstein noted, "...greater creativity breeds greater
happiness. The creative process is itself a source of joy for most people. And
with new creative powers we're also better able to solve the little problems
that beset us daily." And the more recent research of Semir Zeki,
University of London, connects the mere viewing of art with an increase in
dopamine and activity in the brain's frontal cortex, resulting in feelings of
pleasure that are similar to being the throws of romantic love. What's more,
positive sensations are almost immediate when viewing an enjoyable or stirring
work of art.
What I continue to find exciting are several aspects of art
making that are much more commonplace and are pretty much available to all
individuals. In a post in 2008 I explained the "effort-driven reward
system" and its relationship to handwork and crafts. Repetitive satisfying
art making may actually mediate depression and anxiety by stimulating the
"accumbens-striatial-cortical" connection in the brain. It is perhaps
connected to what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi named "flow,"
an experience of complete concentration and absorption. Because flow is close
to other mindfulness practices such as meditation and yoga, it may offer many
of the same positive, attention-focused benefits through deep engagement in an
art process.
The concept of flow points to two happiness factors that
have enhanced human life for thousands of years via the arts. One is the
capacity to find joy in creativity through the pleasure of invention and
exploration. This capacity is based in evolutionary biology to ensure survival
of individuals and communities through innovation. The other is the ability to
get pleasure and relaxation from creating useful, yet aesthetic objects; this
is a form of rejuvenation that is not only practical, but also
health-enhancing.
Finally, I have had the fortunate opportunity to hear what
clients of all ages consistently say during art therapy sessions about the intersection
of art and happiness. Even when expressing what are obviously painful
experiences and memories through art, people invariably report that art making
is a source of joy for them despite what their art communicates. They report
that they find comfort in art's ability to take them outside their personal
struggles and refocus their attention to positive sensations of exploration,
relaxation and stimulating challenges. There also is pride in mastery of new
skills and in discovery of previously unrealized abilities. But most of all,
there is "client consensus" that art making holds the possibility to
transform that which is painful into something eventually positive. To me, that
is the ultimate testimony that art and happiness are inevitably intertwined.
Published on September 27, 2011 by Cathy Malchiodi, PhD,
LPCC, LPAT in Arts and Health
©2011 Cathy Malchiodi
