Daisy Fancourt – författare

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026Discover how art can improve our health, make us happier and even help us live longer with the inspiring new book from the award-winning scientist and world-leading expert.'Wonderful . . . I only wish it had existed as required reading when I was a medical student.' RANGAN CHATTERJEE'Every day we are overwhelmed by advice on how to live better. Art Cure is an amazing antidote to the deluge of nonsense . . . Everyone should read this.' XAND VAN TULLEKEN'Elegantly distils the evidence for what we have always intuitively felt; that music, literature, cinema, and art are powerful universal remedies . . . A book for our times.' GILLIAN ANDERSONDIET. SLEEP. EXERCISE. NATURE. ARTS?Many of us consider making and consuming art to be a hobby, or even a luxury. But what if arts engagement – from classical music to salsa, poetry to pop concerts, galleries to graffiti – was in fact one of our most powerful tools for unlocking health and happiness?What if art could help you live longer – and even save your life?In Art Cure, world-leading expert and award-winning scientist Professor Daisy Fancourt reveals the life-changing power of the arts, including how:Songs support the architectural development of children’s brains.Creative hobbies help our brains to stay resilient against dementia.Visual art and music act just like drugs to reduce depression, stress, and pain.Dance build new neural pathways for people with brain injuries.Going to live music events, museums, exhibitions, and the theatre decreases our risk of future loneliness and frailty.Engaging in the arts improves the functioning of every major organ system in the body.And, perhaps most importantly, how art helps us not only to survive, but to thrive and flourish.Fancourt draws on ground-breaking research in neuroscience, psychology, immunology, physiology, behavioural science and epidemiology, as well as inspiring true stories of people who have experienced radical changes in their health, to empower readers to improve their own health through the arts.Informed by the results of decades of scientific studies, Art Cure is the must-read, inspiring guide to improving your health, giving you the tools to write your own 'arts prescription'.More praise for Art Cure:'A revelation . . . Could not be more timely, nor make a stronger, more urgent case for placing the arts at the centre of our communities.' MELVYN BRAGG, broadcaster and parliamentarian'Fascinating, comprehensive, compelling, inspiring.' DR CHRISTOPHER BAILEY, World Health Organization

Over the past few decades, the use of the arts in health has blossomed. What, for many centuries, was seen as a fringe activity is now being recognised as a field that has enormous potential for impacting positively on both individuals and societies. However, despite this surge in interest and activity, there is still limited support available for people working in the field. Although the number of practical training courses for artists is growing and more universities are establishing research groups, most training activity occurs in either practice or research; there are relatively few opportunities to gain parallel experience in both. Arts in Health: Designing and Researching Interventions provides a complete overview of how to go about undertaking research and practice in the field of arts in health. It starts by exploring the context for arts in health interventions, including the history of the use of arts in health and the theoretical and political developments that have laid the foundations for its flourishing. It also considers what 'arts in health' encompasses and the range of disciplines involved. Part II examines how to design an arts in health intervention, develop partnerships and find funding and considers the sensitivities around working in healthcare. Part III considers the value of research for the field of arts in health and how to design and undertake a research project. Finally, part IV provides a fact file of arts in health research and practice, showing how the arts can be applied and the benefits they can bring across a range of medical disciplines. The book will be valuable for researchers, practitioners, healthcare professionals and those interested in learning more about the field.

The Routledge Companion to Interdisciplinary Studies in Singing, Volume III: Wellbeing explores the connections between singing and health, promoting the power of singing—in public policy and in practice—in confronting health challenges across the lifespan. These chapters shape an interdisciplinary research agenda that advances singing’s theoretical, empirical, and applied contributions, providing methodologies that reflect individual and cultural diversities. Contributors assess the current state of knowledge and present opportunities for discovery in three parts: Singing and HealthSinging and Cultural Understanding Singing and Intergenerational UnderstandingIn 2009, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada funded a seven-year major collaborative research initiative known as Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS). Together, global researchers from a broad range of disciplines addressed three challenging questions: How does singing develop in every human being? How should singing be taught and used to teach? How does singing impact wellbeing? Across three volumes, The Routledge Companion to Interdisciplinary Studies in Singing consolidates the findings of each of these three questions, defining the current state of theory and research in the field. Volume III: Wellbeing focuses on this third question and the health benefits of singing, singing praises for its effects on wellbeing.

The Routledge Companion to Interdisciplinary Studies in Singing, Volume III: Wellbeing explores the connections between singing and health, promoting the power of singing—in public policy and in practice—in confronting health challenges across the lifespan. These chapters shape an interdisciplinary research agenda that advances singing’s theoretical, empirical, and applied contributions, providing methodologies that reflect individual and cultural diversities. Contributors assess the current state of knowledge and present opportunities for discovery in three parts: Singing and HealthSinging and Cultural Understanding Singing and Intergenerational UnderstandingIn 2009, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada funded a seven-year major collaborative research initiative known as Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS). Together, global researchers from a broad range of disciplines addressed three challenging questions: How does singing develop in every human being? How should singing be taught and used to teach? How does singing impact wellbeing? Across three volumes, The Routledge Companion to Interdisciplinary Studies in Singing consolidates the findings of each of these three questions, defining the current state of theory and research in the field. Volume III: Wellbeing focuses on this third question and the health benefits of singing, singing praises for its effects on wellbeing.