The Relationship Between Art and Mental Health
No one can deny the impact the arts have on our emotional wellbeing.
The music which makes us dance, the theatre which makes us laugh and the art pieces which move us to tears are just a handful examples of how art enhances our inner worlds.
Few of us could imagine our lives without art, yet government cuts leading to struggling creative groups would suggest we don’t acknowledge the power of art enough in our lives and communities.
For a long time, it was easy to dismiss the impact of the arts because emotional results are difficult to quantify. However, studies have now shown the relationship between engaging in the arts and improved mental health. According to Arts Council UK, levels of depression, stress and anxiety are noticeably reduced when people get their creative juices flowing. At the same time, levels of self-respect, self-worth and self-esteem increase.*
Currently, mental health issues are the highest our society has ever experienced, accounting for 20% of all health problems. Stress, anxiety and depression are the biggest cause of sickness absence in our society. Suicide is the most common cause of death for men aged 20-49 years in England and Wales. (Health and Safety Executive, 2016: Work related Stress, Anxiety and Depression Statistics in Great Britain). 16 million people in the UK suffer from mental health problems, and the numbers are steadily increasing. (Mind, UK)
Art Sense has always understood the transformative power of art. Beginning three years ago, we initially focused on helping adults with learning difficulties by providing spaces for them to express themselves and connect with others. Since, we’ve focused more on the mental health space as we noticed the damage it was having not just on individuals, but the wider community. Our workshops and events encourage people to artistically explore, without judgement and provide environments for individuals to engage with others in their local communities. The results we’ve seen so far have been astounding - guests with extreme social anxiety have reported increased confidence and those experiencing social isolation have been able to make friends. Some big results considering our workshops simply involve a group of people getting crafty in a room and eating biscuits! Investing and encouraging the arts is a return on investment many times over and benefits every facet of society with knock-on effects to improving our collective mental health.
For older people, the arts help healthy aging, by decreasing loneliness and aiding recovery, supporting longer lives better lived. Arts groups help to re-establish a feeling of community.
For younger people, participation in the arts can help early-stage development. Accounting to the Creative Health Inquiry Report (https://www.culturehealthandwellbeing.org.uk/appg-inquiry/), every £1 spent on early care and education in the arts has been shown to save £13in future costs. Participatory arts activities help children to improve their cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional development.
For employees, participating in the arts has been shown to reduce work-related stress and anxiety, as well as reducing the likelihood of burnout, both within and outside of work.
For those living in deprived communities, a study showed that 79% of people in deprived communities in London ate more healthily, 77% engaged in more physical activity and 83% enjoyed greater wellbeing.
Art enriches our lives, allowing us to express our emotions without words, allowing us to explore complex feelings we’d otherwise lock away. We find relief in externalising our inner stories, and shaping how we feel internally into an art piece in front of our eyes. Arts revitalise our communities, energise our workplaces and breathe life into our daily lives by giving us the confidence to discover ourselves and our emotional worlds. And with every paint stroke, threaded bead and kneaded clay, we mould our mental health into a better shape.
Sources
* https://whatworkswellbeing.org/blog/visual-arts-mental-health-and-wellbeing-evidence-review/