It’s May and flowers are blooming all over town making it a wonderful time of year to appreciate nature and its beauty. As it turns out appreciating any form of beauty is good for our health.

Researchers in the newly emerging field of Neuroaesthetics are discovering a connection between beauty and the brain, and have learned that what is aesthetically pleasing for us is also good for our health and wellbeing.

I love anything and everything that’s beautiful – and I mean everything!

Nature, food, clothes, color, homes, decor, beautifully wrapped presents, pottery, handmade paper, jewelry, plants, flowers, books, photos, memories, the list is long!!! I see beauty in everything and it instantly brings a smile and makes me happy. As it turns out new scientific research is sharing that BEAUTY DOES MAKE US HAPPY by stimulating our pleasure response in our brain.

New emerging field of Neuroaesthetics, the study of Beauty and the Brain

An emerging field called Neuroaesthetics is an innovative new area of neuroscience research that try’s to help us understand the ways in which our brain responds to beauty and art.

Beauty is a powerful and positive force in our lives

Our brains process 11 million bits of information per second. That processing is immediately separated into two categories: survival and pleasure.

“A pleasure response happens when our brain processes a scene that includes 1 – aspects of being familiar, 2- non-threatening, and 3 – has the potential for pleasure. When those 3 things are present, our brain goes into rest and relaxation.

It’s an efficient processing mode and our brain likes that because it doesn’t have to stress out and consequently, feel-good hormones are released.

There’s some really important health benefits to those feel good hormones that include dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin. They lower blood pressure, lower heart rate, improve cardiovascular system, improve our immune system, lower stress which all lead to longer healthier life. “

The beauty around us

Beauty can be found in all aspects of life, from buildings, to nature, decor, flowers, food, anything that evokes a feel good feeling.

The beautiful power of flowers

Nancy L. Etcoff, Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School is the premier scientist bridging the gap between art and science. She is currently studying how flowers may decrease stress levels and improve focus and attention—and they do! Why?

“We know that although flowers have little practical use, yet they have powerful effects on people’s behavior and feelings. Flowers provide solace, joy, forgiveness, compassion. Looking back on evolution, flowers might have signaled that the environment was positive for human habitation. And so it makes sense that they lower stress levels.”

“Beauty is one of life’s basic pleasures, We want to keep it near us, feel more sympathy and compassion for, and are elevated and enriched by what is beautiful.”

Appreciate the beauty around you, it will make you feel happy, lower blood pressure, lower your heart rate, lower your stress, and improve your mood 💕.

Source: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/11/10/neuroaesthetics-cover/

Have a Beautiful Wednesday Everyone!