Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

            Neuroscience is important with the study of art because while it shows how humans think and determine what is interesting and important, it also details how people interpret the world around them. The brain's importance was unknown until relatively recently and neuroscience is still one of the most interesting fields of research, with discoveries being made all the time. One that I find particularly intriguing is the apparent discovery of an "off switch" for consciousness, that could have huge implications for other areas of the brain (Connectome, 2014).

Figure 1: Simplification of a brain "off switch"

            I found the discussion of drugs like cocaine and LSD and how they affect their users to be very interesting this week. While it is beneficial to understand how these drugs were created and the research that has been done using them, my question after watching this week's lectures was how much do we know about how these drugs affect people's perception. Specifically, do these drugs change what appeals to them as "art" or are appealing characteristics permanently wired into our brains? Research has largely shown that LSD in particular is a drug that directly affects perception (Freeman, 2015).

Figure 2: Timothy Leary was one of the most influential psychedelic researchers

                The influence of LSD on perception is even more interesting when looking at the culture change that accompanied its arrival (Richards, 2013). Music experienced a significant shift in popular style and while there are other factors at play here, new drugs definitely played a part. Bands like the Grateful Dead arose and became some of the most famous artists of their time (Getty, 2014). The Beatles were even influenced by psychedelics, with rumors even flying that the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was about the bands many trips on LSD (Snopes, 2007). What would music be like today if not for the effect of these drugs and their role in the evolution of the musical landscape as we know it?

 Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Works Cited

Freeman, Shanna. "How LSD Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 2015. Web. 18 May 2015.<http://science.howstuffworks.com/lsd3.htm>.

Getty, Michael. "The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir on Short-Shorts, LSD, and the." Vanity Fair. 28 Apr. 2014.Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/04/bob-weir-grateful-dead> .

Richards, Samantha. "The Influence of Drugs throughout Music in the 1960s: The Psychedelic Era." World Music. 2013. Web. 18 May 2015.     

<http://blogs.longwood.edu/worldmusicsm/2013/04/29/the-influence-of-drugs-throughout-      music-in-the-1960s-the-psychedelic-era/>.

"Snopes.com: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds LSD." Snopes.com: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds LSD.2007. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.snopes.com/music/hidden/lucysky.asp>.

"The Top 5 Neuroscience Breakthroughs of 2014." The Connectome RSS. 29 Dec. 2014. Web. 18 May 2015.< http://theconnecto.me/2014/12/the-top-5-neuroscience-breakthroughs-of-2014/>.