art and beauty as therapy
Dear reader,
I have a theory as to why we scroll on our phones so much. I just have to jot this down before the thought is lost. Social media has its negatives of course and there is plenty of content online that we all wish wasn’t a part of the overall experience. Most psychologists, mental health experts, and doctors have been saying that we are shortening our attention spans for dopamine hits and instant gratification- I don’t think they are wrong in that statement. Let me just add another layer of possibility to the conversation.
When I scroll through pictures and videos on Instagram or Pinterest, I recently realized I am looking for beauty. I am seeking out videos that show pretty things that spark that dopamine hit. It’s not the clips of movies or TV shows, it’s not comedians with their latest sets. It is definitely not the videos with an ominous statement trying to draw you into reading the too long caption explaining why switching your shampoo will change your life. What draws me in are the videos of people sketching, photos of a cute cafe in Paris, cute puppy eyes, and gorgeous nature views.
“When we experience art, multiple brain systems come alive. The brain’s visual and sensory systems decode colors, shapes, and patterns. The limbic system, the brain’s emotional hub, activates, stirring feelings like awe or melancholy. Interpreting art involves memory, symbolism, and higher-order thinking”. - Jason Shimiaie M.D.
Throughout history, art and beauty have been a refuge for people in desperate times and lift the spirits of struggling souls. Often, creating said art is the therapeutic thing that an individual seeks to escape reality. Social media has given us a window into everyone’s creativity, even our own. Even if it’s just the angle of a photo or the outfit they decided to wear in the video they posted. Beauty draws us in and we desperately want more of it in our lives.
I like to travel to see beautiful things and places. I enjoy making my home cozy and pretty because looking at what I have created brings joy. We as a society are lacking beauty and art in our lives and I think that’s why social media is such a draw for our minds. We were created to admire beauty, so of course we seek it with the device in our pocket.
“Simply viewing and reflecting on art, even without creating it, has scientifically validated abilities to reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance mental health” - Katharina Wenzel-Vollenbroich
If we had more beauty around us in the real world, would we seek our screens so much? When I’m up in the mountains, I don’t crave my smartphone screen. When I’m at an art museum I don’t wish I could be on my phone instead. Because I already have beauty, art, nature, or people in front of me I don’t feel the need to seek it outside of the current moment. If anything, we pull our phones out to capture the beauty to try and experience such sights again and again. Or share it with other people so they can get a glimpse of what you saw.
Beauty and art is a sort of therapy in a sense because of the benefits we experience when we encounter them. Pablo Picasso said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life”. Our minds are meant to appreciate the beauty around us and when that is lacking in our everyday life, we are trying our best to seek it elsewhere. Also, our souls desire to create and seek a simple way of doing so. But it ends up being a sort of double edged sword because the medium of which we chose to engage with the most is also what steals our time away from seeing beauty in the real world.
Art and beauty are proven to improve our mental states and social media is proven to make them worse. Yet, we are seeking one with the other. I realize this is a very romanticized string of thoughts, but I do think there is validity to it. Art and beauty are things to be sought after and let’s hope social media doesn’t water down the art forms outside of technology but rather give us inspiration and insights into art we wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise. All the while making an effort to experience beauty and art even in the simplest forms without a screen.
With warmth,
teresa margaret
