THE ARTS APOTHECARY

Did you know that looking at a painting for 10 minutes or listening to a piece of music can lower your cortisol levels and increase your blood pressure?Whether it',s a free visit to a museum or art gallery, picking up a book, joining a drawing or dance class, or going to the theatre, we benefit from arts and culture, in a deeply personal, enriching way.But what you may not have realised, is that these moments are directly related to your health. That you are tapping into a little-known strategic resource &ndash, one that can enhance and prolong your life and make changes in the world.Interspersed with her own story, Jill Rivers advocates the rediscovery of the value of arts and culture as a prescription towards the healing of our troubled world. It draws attention to the overlooked impact of arts and culture on our social wellbeing and cohesion, our physical and mental health, our education system, our national status and our economy.This book considers the potential of arts and culture as a potion that offers joy, hope and possibility to people of all ages and status, young, old, impoverished, disadvantaged, recovering from illness, crime or substance abuse, depressed, lonely or distraught, across the globe._,