Neuroscience is now confirming what artists and healers have always known: viewing art changes your brain. According to researchers Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, it activates neural pathways tied to emotion, memory, and meaning. It lights up the part of your mind where you daydream, reflect, and connect to who you truly are. It can even lower your stress hormones and support your body’s healing response.

Here’s what the science reveals, and how you can use it to bring more clarity, calm, and creative energy into your everyday life.

We’re Wired for Art

Art is not merely a luxury. According to the field of neuroaesthetics, the science of how art and beauty affect the brain, we humans are biologically wired for aesthetic experiences. Viewing or creating art engages complex neurological systems that influence not only how we think, but how we feel.

Research shared in Magsamen and Ross’s book, Your Brain on Art, shows that just one meaningful art experience per month is associated with increased longevity—up to 10 years longer, in some studies. In other words, art isn’t just nice to have; it can contribute immensely to our wellbeing.

Art Lights Up the Self

One of the most fascinating discoveries in neuroaesthetics is how visual art activates a brain network known as the Default Mode Network (DMN). This is the part of the brain that becomes active when you're not focused on tasks—such as when you're reflecting, daydreaming, imagining, or remembering.

This is significant because the DMN is believed to be the neurological foundation of the self. It's the part of your brain that helps you make meaning, know what you like and don’t like, and piece together your story. So, when you look at art that resonates with you emotionally, you’re activating the parts of your brain that help you connect with who you truly are.

Beauty That Changes You

Studies going back decades have shown that the environments we inhabit shape our brains in real, physical ways. In one famous study, rats placed in environments enriched with visual stimulation, textures, colors, and novelty developed a thicker cerebral cortex than rats in sterile cages. In humans, similar patterns have been observed using non-invasive brain scans, showing that environments filled with beauty, art, and sensory richness improve our mood, cognitive function, and resilience.

Even the shapes in your environment matter. Our brains are biologically drawn to curves over sharp angles, a preference that’s hardwired from our evolution in nature. It’s only in a relatively tiny and recent slice of human history that we started spending time inside buildings with harsh angles. Rounded forms, flowing lines, and organic textures help return the nervous system to a natural baseline of safety and harmony.

In one experiment cited in Your Brain on Art, participants walked through a series of rooms, each designed with different art, sounds, textures, and scents. They wore sensors that tracked various biological signals in real time. At the end, each person received a report showing which room their body felt most at ease in—based on physiological markers, not conscious preference.

Surprisingly, for over half the participants, their body’s favorite room wasn’t the one they thought they liked best. This disconnect suggests that many of us are conditioned by learned preferences. We can be drawn to things even if they’re not truly nourishing.

But, when we learn to tune in to our body’s energy and sensations, we develop a clearer sense of what actually supports our wellbeing. And the more time we spend in spaces that genuinely soothe and uplift us, the more we recalibrate to that state, making it easier to notice when something feels off and to choose environments that align with our inner harmony.

Choose What Nourishes You

If you’ve ever felt drawn to a particular painting or piece of art for no logical reason, now you know why. Your body and brain are responding to something deeper: color, shape, rhythm, memory, vibration. Those responses matter.

So take a moment to look around your space. How does it make you feel? What kind of energy does it invite into your life?

Explore the Change Your Energy Art Collection

At Change Your Energy, we believe that the art you live with should uplift you on every level—not just visually, but emotionally, energetically, and spiritually.

If you’re looking for artwork that can calm your nervous system, awaken your true self, and bring more spiritual connection into your day, explore our shop. We carry a variety of energy art and products created with intention and care, designed to nourish your space and your spirit.