Wholesale Healing: What We Lose When We Quantify the Arts

Wholesale Healing: What We Lose When We Quantify the Arts”

I read the recent article investigating several studies in arts-based interventions, and the conclusion that the benefits of these interventions are overstated.1 The review methodically analyses several research studies and uncovers errors in methodology such as the lack of an appropriate control group, confirmation bias, inappropriate statistical analyses, etc. The authors also show the lack of evidence showing a causal relationship between “art” and the physiological correction of the disorder. Finally, they discuss many methodological concerns with imaging studies that show the benefits of viewing and engaging in the arts [1].

My comment is from the perspective of a neuroscientist and practitioner of a traditional Indian dance form called Bharatanatyam - a 2,000-year-old art form. I have been a practitioner of Bharatanatyam for more than 30 years having started my journey in my hometown of Ahmedabad, India. In New York City now, I continue my training from my gurus in dance and music; and work as a science consultant, writer, and educator [2, 3]. I am also creating the foundation to use Bharatanatyam for creative aging [4-6].
In this paper, I would like to explore the benefits of gaining insights from non-Western art forms and discuss the potential of harm in arts-in-health practices.

I suggest that a study of traditional art forms and their practitioners in the intended context can be a way of uniting and harmonizing the findings of the paper. For example, the practice of Bharatanatyam involves a minimum of seven years and the learning of associated mythology, texts, semiology, and culture. Its study requires a commitment to the art form, and the explicit intent is devotion, not the vague promise of well-being. The study of Bharatanatyam very importantly, also requires a teacher. The study of Bharatanatyam depends on the close relationship between teacher and student. However, who gets to teach? I discuss the lineage of pedagogy in this dance form and the attributes of a teacher. Practices such as Bharatanatyam and other traditional art forms are not documented in scientific journals. How can then, the scientific community learn from them in ways that are respectful to the art form and its practitioners? How can we understand the power of Bharatanatyam, especially in its cultural context of India, a country that was colonized until very recently? Overall, does the quantification of the arts mirror its original intent? Were the arts ever meant to be used as a pill, a panacea?

Is the arts-in-health field doomed? Skov and Nadal rightly suggest the many concomitant factors that may be at play including novelty and social interactions. From my experience using Bharatanatyam for creative aging, I suggest that engagement in the arts could provide a window of opportunity for behaviors or interest, which could be sustained over time depending on factors possibly outside the artists’ or the researchers’ control.

Finally, I discuss the potential for harm. In addition to the lack of standardized methodology, and the low quality of research techniques, also missing is the potential for arts-in-health practices to harm the individuals involved and the artform in question. I suggest that researchers and practitioners spend time thinking about anticipated harms and ill-effects of art interventions, how they might be addressed, and finally, to what end.

In conclusion, I agree with Skov and Nadal that the benefits of arts-in-health interventions are often inflated and the lack of critical examination of research studies is associated with the confirmation bias they report. However, by using insights from my practice as a Bharatanatyam practitioner, I question what we gain by quantifying the arts, and if the arts were ever meant to be a quick fix for life’s maladies.
 
Literature cited:

1. Skov M, Nadal M. Can arts-based interventions improve health? A conceptual and methodological critique Phys Life Rev. 2025 Mar 14;53:239-259.
2. Iyengar SS, Lubbers LS, Harte-Hargrove L, CURE Epilepsy Post-Traumatic Initiative Advisors, Investigators. A team science approach for the preclinical and clinical characterization and biomarker development for post-traumatic epilepsy Epilepsia Open.n/a.
3. Lubbers L, Iyengar SS. A team science approach to discover novel targets for infantile spasms (IS) Epilepsia Open. 2021 Mar;6:49-61.
4. Iyengar S. The Use of Hand Gestures (Hastas) in Bharatanatyam for Creative Aging J Med Humanit. 2024 Jun 24.
5. Iyengar S. Indian Dance (Bharatanatyam) to Ease Social Loneliness and Isolation in Older Adults Critical Public Health.
6. Iyengar S. Facilitating adaptive movement in older adults through Bharatanatyam Perspect Public Health. 2024 Sep;144:282-284.