Cover of Art Cure

Art Cure

by Daisy Fancourt

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Start the Week, BBC Radio 4 · January 12, 2026

The arts and health

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Drawing on the latest research across scientific fields, Professor Daisy Fancourt argues that engaging with the arts is one of our most powerful tools for health and happiness — showing how songs support children's brain development, how dance builds neural pathways, how theatre and exhibitions can decrease pain and depression, and how the arts can improve the functioning of every major organ system in the body.

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