Painting and the Brain

Aging and the Brain are topics popping up in my stream, whether on Facebook or in my Inbox. Are you finding the same thing? Whatever can help defend against memory loss is interesting to me, so I googled “painting and the brain” to see what the experts have said.

It can help prevent mental decline as you age

One of the first articles I came across instantly made me feel hopeful. In 3 Reasons Scientists Say Painting is Good for your Brain, they quoted several recent studies –

Researchers out of Germany found that people who spent time creating visual art actually showed increased connectivity in their brains during fMRI scans and demonstrated improvements in “psychological resilience,” a term describing a person’s ability to cope with negative emotions and remain happy and functional during stressful life conditions.

A recent study from The Mayo Clinic found that taking up visual arts can be an important tool to prevent the problems with memory and cognition that often come with age. Participants who described themselves as artists reported far fewer incidents of cognitive impairment compared to those who never took up art.

The article continued – Even those who didn’t begin painting until late in life showed improvement. So if you’ve been considering picking up a brush and palette for the first time, start now, and your future self will thank you.

That last statement made my day because I just took up painting, with weekly classes locally at the Banyan Tree Art Studio.

Aging is Inevitable

How much of our future health is pre-determined by heredity? I feel fortunate that there is no cancer on either side of the family. No one was overweight or diabetic; I came from healthy stock. The one blip has to do with memory. My mother developed dementia around the time she turned 90; her sister, my aunt, succumbed to Alzheimer’s in her early 80s. My aunt was eight years younger than my Mom, but they died within a month of each other.

I am having a blast learning to paint, and I hope this article is correct. I know that many of you have become Wordle fanatics, and I am certain that will help your brain. But painting is less judgmental; there is no one way to create art.

If you follow my blog, you’ve probably noticed I haven’t published one in a while. Now you know why – I’m spending hours at my easel and fewer at the keyboard.