Dr. Fancourt's Book Details Arts' Health Benefits

Dr. Daisy Fancourt, a leading researcher in the health impacts of the arts, has published a new book that compiles over 15 years of scientific evidence showing how artistic engagement can enhance physical and mental well-being, prevent disease and extend life expectancy.

The book, titled Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives, draws from Fancourt's extensive clinical trials and population studies conducted at universities and hospitals in the United Kingdom. Fancourt's journey into this field began in London, where she developed art programs at a hospital. There, she observed striking effects, such as a child hospitalized for burns who required no morphine during a theater performance and an adult with dementia who sang along flawlessly to a piano piece despite forgetting her relatives. One visitor remarked, "Isn't this a lovely entertainment program?" Fancourt recalled in a recent interview. "I was realizing that, no, this is so much more than entertainment. I'm seeing the tangible benefits this is having on people's health."

Those moments prompted Fancourt, then a music student at Oxford University, to pivot toward science after graduation. She immersed herself in...