Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Our Brains on Poetry
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Our Brains on Poetry
Learn how poetry can help your brain handle stress, process feelings, and spark insight.
Summary: This episode of The Science of Happiness is part of our series Using Art As Medicine. We explore poetry, one of the oldest artforms, powers our brains, calms our nervous systems, and reduces anxiety by opening doors into our psyche. Whether you're reading or writing it, elements like rhythm, metaphor and rhyme improve memory, cognition and even self-esteem.
How To Do This Practice:
Find Your Moment: Notice the time of day when you feel closest to yourself. It might be early morning before the world wakes up, or another quiet pocket of time when your thoughts are unfiltered and your heart is open.
Set the Scene: Create an atmosphere that supports you. Play music that matches your mood or inspires imagination. Let it be soft and inviting, not distracting, just enough to signal to your body that this is a sacred moment.
Choose Your Tools: Use what feels natural. Journal, laptop, scrap paper, napkin, the format doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re ready to begin.
Write Without Interruption: Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes. Let your pen or fingers move freely. Don’t stop, don’t edit, and don’t worry about making sense, just see what comes.
Welcome the Unsaid: Allow what’s hidden, half-formed, or surprising to emerge.
Let It Be What It Is: When the timer ends, pause. Don’t rush to interpret or fix your words. You’ve just made contact with something real, let that be enough.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
YRSA DALEY-WARD is an award-winning poet and author. Her debut novel, The Catch, comes out June 3rd.
Learn more about Yrsa here: https://yrsadaleyward.squarespace.com/
Pre-order her book here: https://tinyurl.com/yanw6bb5
DR. SUSAN MAGSAMEN is a Professor of Neurology at John Hopkins, and author of the New York Times bestseller, Your Brain On Art: How the Arts Transform Us.
Learn more about Dr. Magsamen here: https://tinyurl.com/33v8m5md
Read Dr. Magsamen’s book here: https://tinyurl.com/426k87f2
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
Using Art As Medicine Series: https://tinyurl.com/k3mneupx
How Art Heals Us: https://tinyurl.com/yc77fkzu
Related Happiness Breaks:
How To Awaken Your Creative Energy: https://tinyurl.com/4fknd8ev
Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv
A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y
Tell us about your experience with poetry. Email us at [email protected] or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/y9r9dyzd
View all episodes
By PRX and Greater Good Science Center
4.5
18141,814 ratings
Learn how poetry can help your brain handle stress, process feelings, and spark insight.
Summary: This episode of The Science of Happiness is part of our series Using Art As Medicine. We explore poetry, one of the oldest artforms, powers our brains, calms our nervous systems, and reduces anxiety by opening doors into our psyche. Whether you're reading or writing it, elements like rhythm, metaphor and rhyme improve memory, cognition and even self-esteem.
How To Do This Practice:
Find Your Moment: Notice the time of day when you feel closest to yourself. It might be early morning before the world wakes up, or another quiet pocket of time when your thoughts are unfiltered and your heart is open.
Set the Scene: Create an atmosphere that supports you. Play music that matches your mood or inspires imagination. Let it be soft and inviting, not distracting, just enough to signal to your body that this is a sacred moment.
Choose Your Tools: Use what feels natural. Journal, laptop, scrap paper, napkin, the format doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re ready to begin.
Write Without Interruption: Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes. Let your pen or fingers move freely. Don’t stop, don’t edit, and don’t worry about making sense, just see what comes.
Welcome the Unsaid: Allow what’s hidden, half-formed, or surprising to emerge.
Let It Be What It Is: When the timer ends, pause. Don’t rush to interpret or fix your words. You’ve just made contact with something real, let that be enough.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
YRSA DALEY-WARD is an award-winning poet and author. Her debut novel, The Catch, comes out June 3rd.
Learn more about Yrsa here: https://yrsadaleyward.squarespace.com/
Pre-order her book here: https://tinyurl.com/yanw6bb5
DR. SUSAN MAGSAMEN is a Professor of Neurology at John Hopkins, and author of the New York Times bestseller, Your Brain On Art: How the Arts Transform Us.
Learn more about Dr. Magsamen here: https://tinyurl.com/33v8m5md
Read Dr. Magsamen’s book here: https://tinyurl.com/426k87f2
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
Using Art As Medicine Series: https://tinyurl.com/k3mneupx
How Art Heals Us: https://tinyurl.com/yc77fkzu
Related Happiness Breaks:
How To Awaken Your Creative Energy: https://tinyurl.com/4fknd8ev
Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv
A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y
Tell us about your experience with poetry. Email us at [email protected] or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/y9r9dyzd
More shows like The Science of Happiness
View all
Living on Earth
467 Listeners
Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen
665 Listeners
Latino USA
3,748 Listeners
Afropop Worldwide
307 Listeners
On Being with Krista Tippett
10,358 Listeners
Live Wire with Luke Burbank
317 Listeners
The World
917 Listeners
Snap Judgment
11,560 Listeners
Sounds True: Insights at the Edge
1,836 Listeners
Good Life Project
3,287 Listeners
The One You Feed
2,507 Listeners
Reveal
8,236 Listeners
The Psychology Podcast
1,844 Listeners
Hidden Brain
43,454 Listeners
Untangle
821 Listeners
10% Happier with Dan Harris
12,526 Listeners
Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson
2,417 Listeners
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
14,427 Listeners
Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
23,618 Listeners
How to Be a Better Human
1,358 Listeners
Suave
1,506 Listeners
A Slight Change of Plans
2,036 Listeners
We Can Do Hard Things
41,345 Listeners
How to Age Up
1,435 Listeners