It’s all one system. The way we think is of course, linked to what is happening in the rest of our bodies. “I think therefore I am” doesn’t separate the mind from the body, it announces that the two are linked.
A new study out of the University of Minnesota finds that hopelessness leads to increased risk of stroke among women. Among 559 women tested, those who answered questions about the future and their personal goals and revealed a sense of hopelessness were more likely to have thickening of the neck arteries, a sign for stroke.
The question remains whether it is possible to change attitude and in turn change the women’s risk of stroke. But I would suggest that the role of the arts in public health to simultaneously build a sense of self and community has not fully been explored.
Check out Mike White’s new book, Arts Development and Community Health – it’s a little dense at the start (tracing the linkages between arts and health through the British govt/health system), but the framework is enormously helpful to Americans who continue to see the power of the arts through either a medical lens (therapy) or social justice (community development) lens, but not both.
