Music, poetry, dance, and art have played an important part in our mental and physical well-being throughout history. According to studies commissioned by the UK Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, “Participation in the arts leads to significant improvements in health, that not only boost self-esteem, but also reduce feelings of isolation and exclusion.”
Those benefits have led to a profoundly different type of prescription in the UK—social prescribing. People who are feeling lonely, depressed, or anxious may be prescribed an art class or community dance program, rather than a pharmaceutical.
