RESEARCH & ARTICLES
THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF ART
Engaging with art has been shown to significantly enhance health and well-being, reduce stress by lowering cortisol levels, and trigger dopamine release, leading to feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.. Moreover, hospital patients exposed to visual art reported reduced pain and discomfort and needed less in-patient time in post-op care.
THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF LIGHT
We are naturally drawn to light for psychological, physiological, and metaphorical reasons. Throughout history, light has been used to promote human health, from ancient civilizations recognizing sunlight's healing properties to modern therapies using specific wavelengths of electric light for Circadian regulation. Dynamic light, which noticeably changes as it is observed, can attract us, calm us, and reset brainwaves.
THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE
Immersive art engages multiple senses, not just sight. This sensory stimulation can evoke strong emotions and a deeper connection with the artwork. Immersive experiences offer numerous health benefits, including stress reduction, mood enhancement, cognitive stimulation, pain management, and increased social connectivity.
Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health (JCIAH)
Lyn Godley is the founder and director of The Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health (JCIAH), a platform for collaborative teaching, research, and prototyping where dynamic and interactive design technologies fuse with patient experience. It is a multi-tiered, cross-disciplinary approach dedicated to studying the impact of immersive art + design on healing and neurodiversity.
The Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health (JCIAH) aims to research, test, and integrate Immersive Art in healthcare and public settings to enhance healing. For more information on the studies taking place, click on the link below.
Lyn Godley: We're all moths to a flame - Imagine a Place
Creating AWE | Lyn Godley | TEDxPenn
ARTICLES
Jefferson Health’s Honickman Center Launching a New Era of Medicine, Summer 2024. Jefferson Innovator Magazine.
How the University Helped Bring Immersive Art and Neurodiverse-Friendly Seating to the Honickman Center, by Brian Hickey, April 1, 2024. Jefferson Nexus Publication.
Jefferson Health's outpatient facility Honickman Center is a rarefied world of sensory sensitivity, by Stephanie Stahl , June 28, 2024. CBS News Philadelphia.
How Jefferson Health’s Honickman Center became a blueprint for an inclusive, neurodiverse environment, by Nicole Leonard, WHYY. April 30, 2024.
Finding Calm in Ocean Waves and Galaxies, by Karuna Meda. March 29, 2024. The Nexus Magazine.
Physicists describe the wave of particle duality of light. At Jefferson, faculty explore another duality in light- between health and art. Innovator Magazine. Spring 2023
Creating Awe/Lyn Godley at TEDxPenn. Recorded presentation, YouTube, 2023.
Immersive Art for Wellbeing at Ravenhill Chapel, Jefferson Aspire Magazine, October 30, 2023.
Can Light-Based Art improve Health? This Philly exhibition wants to find out” Peter Crimmins, WHYY. Nov. 8, 2022
“Art, Technology and Mental Health all Connect at this new Immersive Exhibit” by Sarah Huffman, Technical.ly, Sept 26, 2022
Ravenhill Chapel Project. Photo Credit - Jefferson Media
Photon Motion #9 by Alyson Denny.
Photo credit- Emma Lee/WHYY
Waiting Room exhibit at HOT•BED Philadelphia
Understanding the scientific basis of our psychological and physiological responses to art and light has opened opportunities for exploration and integration. Collaborating closely with scientists, researchers, and healthcare providers to investigate the tangible effects of immersive art on health has been a great privilege. Undoubtedly, it has been the most rewarding aspect of my career.