In recent weeks, the White House hosted panels and talks to discuss the importance of arts and culture in our society. Speakers discussed the need to include the arts in spaces you wouldn’t initially think of when you think of them as necessary. The Summit follows President Joe Biden’s 2022 Executive Order saying that the arts are “essential to the well-being, health, vitality and democracy of our Nation.” So, what does incorporating the arts into daily life look like and how does it affect problem-solving?
One example that has been brought to attention is music. Everyone loves music and everyone loves to hear their favorite song played. Music, however, is more than just tunes that we enjoy. Listening to music is linked to having an instantaneous effect on our mental health. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy believes that in his time practicing, he has yet to see a medication that offers the same quick and fast relief as music. Pfzier explains how the limbic system, located right above your brainstem, is involved in processing your emotions and controlling your memory. When you listen to music, the limbic system “lights up,” which helps process and release dopamine, a chemical that triggers pleasure.
Another form of art that has been linked to helping solve problems is fine arts. Murthy explains how medical students studying fine arts, specifically painting, could better read and interpret X-rays and radiographic images. Fine arts, such as painting, also help people enter into a “flow state,” meaning it gets you into “the zone.” By developing this skill, people can be more present in whatever they’re doing, and it helps them focus better. By teaching your brain how to focus, it allows you to stay on task and figure things out in a more timely manner.
The Arts & Culture Summit also discussed how art is essential to the “health and vitality” of our nation. Art expresses culture and as a melting pot, the U.S. is filled with so much diversity. By prioritizing the arts, we can see and learn about other cultures uniquely and interestingly. Art can help us grow our empathy, which can help us problem-solve situations that we may not be able to relate to personally. By making or absorbing art, we can learn about ourselves and others.
President Joe Biden stated that art is “the soul of America” and that we need it to thrive as a nation. Not only does art help us thrive in practical ways and help our problem-solving, but it also teaches us about people other than ourselves. Art is a core value of our nation, and this Summit proved that the arts will continue to help us grow as people and as a country.