I'm not quite sure how I stumbled across this title but it's an extraordinarily inspiring guide to how an appreciation of and a participation in the arts can help us emotionally, mentally and medically to be healthy, happy people!

The scientific research is presented alongside anecdotes and case studies to make a readable, uplifting and informative guide.

Many think of the arts as entertainment or escape, a luxury, but they can be used to change your day to day life, address serious physical and mental health issues and help you learn and flourish, say the authors of this book.

A man with Alzheimer’s recognises his son for the first time in five years after he hears a curated playlist of songs from his past. In Finland a young mother sings to her newborn to help her recover from postpartum depression. In Virginia, first responders paint to release the trauma of frontline care and mask making helps soldiers recover from PTSD.

These are just a few of the documented cases which illustrate how art, music, sculpture, writing can all assist in coping with stress, trauma, mental illness, depression, but also putting the challenges of daily life into perspective and bring about wellbeing.