Online lecture and discussion: CAN ARTS IMPROVE HEALTH? A CRITIQUE AND REPLIES TO COMMENTARIES

Part of the lecture series Music and Medicine

Online lecture and discussion with:

• Marcos Nadal (Lecture), Department of Psychology, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
• Martin Skov (Lecture), Center for Decision Neuroscience, Copenhagen Business School; Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
• Valerie Oberleithner (Commentary), Choreographer and Performer, Paris, France
• Lorraine Kalia (Commentary), Department of Medicine, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network (UHN), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

There is currently wide-spread agreement among researchers and artists worldwide that arts, music, and cultural engagement are good for health and wellbeing. Nevertheless, there are dissenting voices, and recent critiques on research have questioned the strength and evidence for the arts-music-culture-health hypothesis. This webinar offers a detailed and critical assessment of widespread claims that engaging with the arts — through activities such as music, dance, literature, or visual arts — has direct and measurable benefits for mental and physical health. The lecture is based on a recent and thought-provoking paper by Marcos Nadal and Martin Skov in Physics of Life Reviews, which has attracted significant international attention and sparked lively debate.

This webinar is the first from the Webinar-Series organized by International Network for the Critical Appraisal in Arts and Health Research (INCAAHR). The series brings together leading researchers, artists, and clinicians internationally to explore both the strengths and limitations of arts in health and of current evidence for the value of arts in health, and to assess the extent of evidence-based arts-for-health practice. The aim is to foster a transdisciplinary and rigorous discussion on what the arts can realistically contribute to wellbeing and health and how to advance future research, policy, and practice development.
In cooperation with Institute for Open Arts (Mozarteum University Salzburg) and Salzburg Institute for Arts in Medicine (SIAM).

In English

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The Salzburg series Music & Medicine presents scientific and artistic contributions from leading international experts in various disciplines to explore the interactions and mechanisms between the experience, processing and psycho-physiological impact of music on humans and to understand how music may promote health and wellbeing.