Ten Laws with East Forest East Forest

Many of us think of the arts as entertainment—a luxury of some kind. In Your Brain on Art, authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross show how activities from painting and dancing to expressive writing, architecture, and more are essential to our lives.

We’re on the verge of a cultural shift in which the arts can deliver potent, accessible, and proven solutions for the well-being of everyone. Magsamen and Ross offer compelling research that shows how engaging in an art project for as little as forty-five minutes reduces the stress hormone cortisol, no matter your skill level, and just one art experience per month can extend your life by ten years. They expand our understanding of how playing music builds cognitive skills and enhances learning; the vibrations of a tuning fork create sound waves to counteract stress; virtual reality can provide cutting-edge therapeutic benefit; and interactive exhibits dissolve the boundaries between art and viewers, engaging all of our senses and strengthening memory. Doctors have even been prescribing museum visits to address loneliness, dementia, and many other physical and mental health concerns.

Your Brain on Art is a portal into this new understanding about how the arts and aesthetics can help us transform traditional medicine, build healthier communities, and mend an aching planet.

Featuring conversations with artists such as David Byrne, Renée Fleming, and evolutionary biologist E. O. Wilson, Your Brain On Art is an authoritative guide neuroaesthetics. The book weaves a tapestry of breakthrough research, insights from multidisciplinary pioneers, and compelling stories from people who are using the arts to enhance their lives.

East Forest and Peter Broderick tell their wild story of recording and creating their latest collaborative album, "Burren" — the full 12-song album is out on Bright Antenna Records on March 17, 2023.

Tiffanie Debartolo is an author and co-founder of Bright Antenna Records. Her most recent novel is Sorrow. Her previous works include God-Shaped Hole, How To Kill a Rock Star, the graphic novel Grace: Based on the Jeff Buckley Story, and the film Dream for an Insomniac, which she wrote and directed.

Matt Kracht is a writer and illustrator who enjoys creating books that celebrate the humor inherent in life's absurdities. A native of the Pacific Northwest, he lives with his wife in Seattle, where they enjoy gazing out the window at the beautiful waters of Puget Sound and making fun of birds.

Justin Wren has inspired millions from his appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience, Ed Mylett Show, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC, CBS, and TEDx Talks, along with sharing in prisons, schools, churches, and other venues.

East Forest joins Radha to dive into the story of his recent vulnerable experience in a darkness retreat.