New studies have found a link between experiencing the arts and longevity. As part of programming for Vital Connections: Art & the Brain, the Queen's Medical Center neuro-specialists Dr. Kazuma Nakagawa, chief of neurology, and Dr. Brita Aramaki, chief of geriatrics, and Dr. Courtnee Nunokawa of B+HARI (Brain Health Applied Research Institute), specializing in neuro-rehab, plasticity, and lifestyle medicine, discuss the science behind why art is a critical tool to optimize brain health for longevity.

This talk examines how making art, experiencing it, and engaging with it can regularly strengthen the cognitive capacities most protective of long-term brain health: curiosity, emotional intelligence, creative thinking, empathy, and the ability to find meaning. Grounded in science and the realities of aging in Hawai‘i, this talk offers an honest, hopeful, and practical vision of the capabilities of the aging brain.