How to hack your brain happier
A curator tells us how neuroscience and art are linked
Beauty isn't in the eye of the beholder; it's in the brain, argues Lee Baker, Co-founder and Curator at SKIP Gallery and Co-founder and Lead Artist at Graphic Rewilding. In his talk Hack your happiness levels in 20 minutes that took place at D&AD Festival 2023, Lee explains why he believes that neuro-aesthetics — a combination of "neuroscience, psychology, philosophy and the arts" — can help us understand why and how our brains respond to aesthetic experiences.
Studies have shown that we feel happier simply from looking at pictures of wildlife, a result of our brain’s natural ability to process images of nature better than urban images. Looking at these pictures stimulates the reward centres of our brains more effectively, leading to a sense of relaxation and contentment. It's this belief in artists as unknowing neurologists that inspired Baker to co-found the Graphic Rewilding project, which aims to transform city centres with floral murals — and, he explains, make us all a little happier.
Watch more highlights from D&AD Festival here.
