Written in the vein of a scientific research survey, the book is not really about if art is good for the brain, but rather why it is good for the brain. When I started the book I expected some discussion on this but rather the authors have already moved on to the point of “here are the benefits that art with confer”.
Since they have already decided that art is good for the brain, all the scientific papers and results that they cite support this, and there are no sources of dissent.
It seemed to me that a lot of the programs, systems and strategies introduced in this book have some sort of direct connection with the authors themselves, which may or may not be a good thing depending on how strictly you are judging the contents.
But really, even if the premise of this book is wrong, what is the worst that could happen? You get more culture/art/dance/music in your life – it is hard to imagine that being a bad thing.
So although the writing is a little woo-woo they do make a convincing case for adding some art into one’s routine lifestyle. I especially was interested in the writing about children’s play and learning styles and leveraging these into strategies for adults.
Next I am reading The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown.
