Happiness Break: How Poetry Helps Us Feel and Heal
3/31/202617 min
What happens in your brain when you read or write a poem? We listen to powerful poetry from you, our listeners, and uncover the neuroscience of why it helps us feel, process, and recover.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Happiness Break Guest:
SUSAN MAGSAMEN is a Neurology professor at John Hopkins, and author of the New York Times bestseller, Your Brain On Art: How the Arts Transform Us.
Find Susan’s book here: https://www.yourbrainonart.com/
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Using Art As...
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDacher Keltner· Host0:00
[gentle music] Welcome to The Science of Happiness. I'm Dacher Keltner. April is National Poetry Month, and to celebrate, we have a special episode for you. When we did a series on art as medicine, we spoke with award-winning poet Yrsa Daley-Ward, and put out a call to you to write and share your poetry with us, and we received poems from all over the world.
Speaker 20:25
The other day I wrote this poem for a little bird. I'd like to share it with you. This morning, before I see you, I hear your drumming, sporadic, staccato, deep and hollow. Such a big echoing sound from such a small feathered one just pecking wood.
Dacher Keltner· Host0:41
Today we're going to hear and reflect on some of the poetry. We'll also dive deeper into what makes poetry a unique form of medicine for our minds with Susan Magsamen.
Susan Magsamen· Guest0:53
Poetry reduces anxiety and depression. It significantly lowers symptoms of mental health. It boosts emotional expression and processing. And so, you know, we don't just wanna survive, we wanna thrive, right?
Dacher Keltner· Host1:06
More after the break.
Alex Honnold1:08
[upbeat music] I'm Alex Honnold, professional rock climber and founder of the Honnold Foundation. I wanted to let you know about a brand new season of the Planet Visionaries podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. This is the podcast exploring bold ideas and big solutions and the people leading the way in conservation. Join me in conversation