A growing field of scientific research is studying how the human brain benefits from and interacts with art. This field is called neuroaesthetics and according to research, "the brain actually goes through changes when we look at a beautiful art piece. In fact...looking at a gorgeous painting, sculpture, or other artwork increases blood flow to the brain by as much as 10% -- the equivalent of looking at someone you love."

Viewing art stimulates multiple parts of your brain, including the visual cortex, responsible for processing color, form, and movement; the limbic system, which causes emotional reactions; the default mode network, involved with imagination, introspection, and memory; and the reward system, including the neurotransmitter dopamine, which makes us feel good.

In fact, studies show that visual art stimulates the pleasure and reward centers of the brain in the same way that food and music stimulate those areas. It also activates what researchers call embodied cognition, which is the idea that the body and its interactions with the environment influence mental processes (including thoughts). For example, viewing a painting of the beach may stimulate the feeling of warmth and the texture of sand. Looking at splatters of paint on a canvas may stimulate the feeling of rapid movement, such as when the artist threw the paint at the canvas, and lead viewers to imagine and even feel the emotion of the artist as they hurled paint through the air. In this way, art allows us to empathize with others. The brain does this through mirror neurons that simulate outside realities within our own mind as if those experiences were ours.

So, while art is nice to look at, it is far more than modern decoration or ancient practice. It is a healthy benefit for our brain, a connective dynamic with others, and a powerful investment in our environment and our body's experience.