proofonline.org » Art http://www.proofonline.org/blog mental health blog Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:24:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Trying To Prove What We Already Know http://www.proofonline.org/blog/2009/12/18/trying-to-prove-what-we-already-know/ http://www.proofonline.org/blog/2009/12/18/trying-to-prove-what-we-already-know/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:28:43 +0000 Douglas Faneuil http://www.proofonline.org/blog/?p=300 Here’s a recent headline from London’s Telegraph:

Artistic men are happier, study finds

“The findings of the study, in which almost 50,000 people participated, suggest that greater participation in arts and culture may improve overall levels of mental health. Professor Jostein Holmen, one of the researchers at the university said there was a ‘positive relationship’ between cultural participation and happiness for both sexes.”

In mental health news, you hear this stuff all the time: obvious conclusions couched in scientific language, announced in the manner of discoveries. Should it come as any surprise that participation in cultural activities adds to well-being? Why would scientists spend so much time verifying this connection? The study and its press say more about our relationship to art than anything else.

The real news here is our insecurity. Art doesn’t just make us happy – it makes us human. Those who question its benefits, or need to prove them, already seem lost.

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