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Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health, From the Award-Winning Scientist
Discover how art can improve our health, make us happier and even help us live longer with the inspiring new book from the award-winning scientist and world-leading expert.
'Every day we are overwhelmed by advice on how to live better. Art Cure is an amazing antidote to the deluge of nonsense . . . Everyone should read this.' XAND VAN TULLEKEN, doctor and presenter
'Elegantly distils the evidence for what we have always intuitively felt; that music, literature, cinema, and art are powerful universal remedies . . . A book for our times.' GILLIAN ANDERSON, bestselling author, actress and activist
DIET. SLEEP. EXERCISE. NATURE. ARTS?
Many of us consider making and consuming art to be a hobby, or even a luxury. But what if arts engagement – from classical music to salsa, poetry to pop concerts, galleries to graffiti – was in fact one of our most powerful tools for unlocking health and happiness?
What if art could help you live longer – and even save your life?
In Art Cure, world-leading expert and award-winning scientist Professor Daisy Fancourt reveals the life-changing power of the arts, including
Songs support the architectural development of children’s brains.Creative hobbies help our brains to stay resilient against dementia.Visual art and music act just like drugs to reduce depression, stress, and pain.Dance build new neural pathways for people with brain injuries.Going to live music events, museums, exhibitions, and the theatre decreases our risk of future loneliness and frailty.Engaging in the arts improves the functioning of every major organ system in the body.And, perhaps most importantly, how art helps us not only to survive, but to thrive and flourish.
Fancourt draws on ground-breaking research in neuroscience, psychology, immunology, physiology, behavioural science and epidemiology, as well as inspiring true stories of people who have experienced radical changes in their health, to empower readers to improve their own health through the arts.
Informed by the results of decades of scientific studies, Art Cure is the must-read, inspiring guide to improving your health, giving you the tools to write your own 'arts prescription'.
'A revelation . . . Could not be more timely, nor make a stronger, more urgent case for placing the arts at the centre of our communities.' MELYN BRAGG, broadcaster and parliamentarian
'Fascinating, comprehensive, compelling, inspiring.' DR CHRISTOPHER BAILEY, World Health Organization
'Every day we are overwhelmed by advice on how to live better. Art Cure is an amazing antidote to the deluge of nonsense . . . Everyone should read this.' XAND VAN TULLEKEN, doctor and presenter
'Elegantly distils the evidence for what we have always intuitively felt; that music, literature, cinema, and art are powerful universal remedies . . . A book for our times.' GILLIAN ANDERSON, bestselling author, actress and activist
DIET. SLEEP. EXERCISE. NATURE. ARTS?
Many of us consider making and consuming art to be a hobby, or even a luxury. But what if arts engagement – from classical music to salsa, poetry to pop concerts, galleries to graffiti – was in fact one of our most powerful tools for unlocking health and happiness?
What if art could help you live longer – and even save your life?
In Art Cure, world-leading expert and award-winning scientist Professor Daisy Fancourt reveals the life-changing power of the arts, including
Songs support the architectural development of children’s brains.Creative hobbies help our brains to stay resilient against dementia.Visual art and music act just like drugs to reduce depression, stress, and pain.Dance build new neural pathways for people with brain injuries.Going to live music events, museums, exhibitions, and the theatre decreases our risk of future loneliness and frailty.Engaging in the arts improves the functioning of every major organ system in the body.And, perhaps most importantly, how art helps us not only to survive, but to thrive and flourish.
Fancourt draws on ground-breaking research in neuroscience, psychology, immunology, physiology, behavioural science and epidemiology, as well as inspiring true stories of people who have experienced radical changes in their health, to empower readers to improve their own health through the arts.
Informed by the results of decades of scientific studies, Art Cure is the must-read, inspiring guide to improving your health, giving you the tools to write your own 'arts prescription'.
'A revelation . . . Could not be more timely, nor make a stronger, more urgent case for placing the arts at the centre of our communities.' MELYN BRAGG, broadcaster and parliamentarian
'Fascinating, comprehensive, compelling, inspiring.' DR CHRISTOPHER BAILEY, World Health Organization
- GenresNonfiction
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 8, 2026
20 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 28, 2026
As a doctor myself, I wish that all healthcare professionals and policy makes would read this book and understand the incredible impact it would have if the findings were implemented as the norm.
If I suggested doing more art to many patients, I think they'd be surprised. I would love to work in a world where of course the arts would be part of healthcare.
Daisy's work is phenomenal - the world needs more researchers like her!
If I suggested doing more art to many patients, I think they'd be surprised. I would love to work in a world where of course the arts would be part of healthcare.
Daisy's work is phenomenal - the world needs more researchers like her!
January 19, 2026
Click here for my full review.
“Art […] is the forgotten fifth pillar of health.”
Art is useless. That’s not an insult—that’s how it’s been defined for centuries. A young James Joyce wrote that practical objects like beds could never be artistic, because art exists only to be contemplated for its beauty. This argument, expressed by thinkers as different as Kant and Wilde, sees art as inherently lacking practical purpose, created for a cerebral world of the purely aesthetic.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop art from being damn good for us, as Daisy Fancourt’s research reveals. From video documentaries used to prevent Ebola’s spread, to magic tricks that help children with cerebral palsy build motor skills, ART CURE showcases the tangible benefits of making and engaging with art. Fancourt not only offers “Daily dose” suggestions for applying these insights towards issues like stress and ageing, but also examines the wider societal barriers that make the arts inaccessible.
One of Fancourt’s interviewees, Deb, struggled all her life with conditions including bipolar disorder and anxiety, and never expected that joining an “art for well-being” class would transform her mental health. Reflecting on that decision years later, she tells Fancourt bluntly, “My plan was to get discharged from hospital and try and kill myself again. If it hadn’t been for that art class, I wouldn’t be here.”...
“Art […] is the forgotten fifth pillar of health.”
Art is useless. That’s not an insult—that’s how it’s been defined for centuries. A young James Joyce wrote that practical objects like beds could never be artistic, because art exists only to be contemplated for its beauty. This argument, expressed by thinkers as different as Kant and Wilde, sees art as inherently lacking practical purpose, created for a cerebral world of the purely aesthetic.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop art from being damn good for us, as Daisy Fancourt’s research reveals. From video documentaries used to prevent Ebola’s spread, to magic tricks that help children with cerebral palsy build motor skills, ART CURE showcases the tangible benefits of making and engaging with art. Fancourt not only offers “Daily dose” suggestions for applying these insights towards issues like stress and ageing, but also examines the wider societal barriers that make the arts inaccessible.
One of Fancourt’s interviewees, Deb, struggled all her life with conditions including bipolar disorder and anxiety, and never expected that joining an “art for well-being” class would transform her mental health. Reflecting on that decision years later, she tells Fancourt bluntly, “My plan was to get discharged from hospital and try and kill myself again. If it hadn’t been for that art class, I wouldn’t be here.”...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews