Why Beauty Matters. The Transformational Experiences of Art and Music upon the Human Soul

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Psychology - Media Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University (Art and Design Academy), course: Academic Conference, language: English, comment: This presentation which has been elaborated for publication was jointly authored in 2012 by Dr Cyrus Manasseh and Professor Pamela Schmidt as an extension of both author's research and was presented at the 7th International Conference on the Arts in Society, Art and Design Academy, John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom Design Academy, 2012., abstract: Beauty takes our breath away. We come to rest, are silenced, and in awe. When beauty opens our hearts, our capacity to care for what is just and true enlarges. The triumvirate of western values - truth, beauty, and goodness - has long served as the foundation for positive human development. The experience of beauty takes us deep within ourselves to the most intimate sense of who we are and what we have endured.§§Beauty is the ultimate attractor and healer. It transcends us by pulling us out of ourselves and generates us to heal, repair, and move forward. Beauty in its many forms has profound neurological and psychological impact upon us. Artistic expression, and flow stimulate the growth of new brain cells in the cerebral cortex. Such experiences raise physiological levels in the immune, the endocrine, and the nervous systems. "Emotions play out in the theatre of the body.§§Feelings play out in the theatre of the mind." As a significant psychologically transcendent experience, this arousal increases well-being, optimism, and resilience. Optimism is directly correlated with improved health. Drama, music, and art have the capacity to build and sustain resilience because creative engagement and participation is directly correlated with an overall positive impact on health, morale, and loneliness. This essays draws on some theoretical perspectives and research as they inform an understanding of the power of beauty and its transformational affect on the human psyche and development.