S3E5 - Art Required: Feeling, Creativity, and the Brain episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 7, 2026 · 39 MIN

S3E5 - Art Required: Feeling, Creativity, and the Brain

from Actual People · host Chauncey Zalkin

Hi there! I'm back. In this episode I sit down with Ivy Ross, Chief Design Officer at Google and co-author of Your Brain on Art (written with Susan Magsamen, Executive Director International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics @ Johns Hopkins). We talk about one of my new favorite topics, neuroaesthetics (the study of how art and sensory experience affect the brain and body) and why it matters for mental health and overall quality of life. The episode covers: Ye olde burnout, stress, and cognitive limits; grad school stimulation and time to rest.Reflecting on how grad school is reshaping my processing of people and situations.How the latest victorious lawsuit gives us a win over algorithm madness.What neuroaesthetics is and where it comes from  How sensory environments (light, sound, texture, space) affect stress and wellbeing  The gap between what we think we need and what our body is trying to tell us Why creativity gets conditioned out of people early  How this connects to mental health, learning, and daily life Please hit subscribe and find me on YT and TikTok too where I'm particularly active these slowwwerrrr days of the podcast. Stick with me!- ChaunceyWritten, directed, and executive produced by Chauncey Zalkin. Intro/Outro sound engineered by Eric Aaron. Photography by Alonza Mitchell with Design Consulting by Paper + Screen.Want to go deeper? Follow my Substack and don't forget to pledge subscription. (;Want to see the episode? Subscribe to the Actual People YouTube Channel.Follow us on Instagram for the latest updates and behind the scenes.We want to hear from YOU so if you want to be a guest, have a pithy but kind retort, or for business inquiries, drop me a line.Actual People, a Podcastwww.chaunceyzalkin.com

Hi there! I'm back. In this episode I sit down with Ivy Ross, Chief Design Officer at Google and co-author of Your Brain on Art (written with Susan Magsamen, Executive Director International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics @ Johns Hopkins). We talk about one of my new favorite topics, neuroaesthetics (the study of how art and sensory experience affect the brain and body) and why it matters for mental health and overall quality of life. The episode covers: Ye old...

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S3E5 - Art Required: Feeling, Creativity, and the Brain

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This episode was published on April 7, 2026.

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Hi there! I'm back. In this episode I sit down with Ivy Ross, Chief Design Officer at Google and co-author of Your Brain on Art (written with Susan Magsamen, Executive Director International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics @ Johns...

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