HoldsUp

DavidPerlmutterMD · 2024-01-29 · David Perlmutter (host), Susan Magsamen, Ivy Ross

Your Brain on Art: The Science of Creativity and Neurological Health | Ivy Ross & Susan Magsamen

24 research-tied claims examined: 6 overstated 5 context 8 supported 5 unverified

6

Overstated

0:13:23David Perlmutter (host)overstatedlow

Clinical and real-world trials of the Apollo Neuro device demonstrate up to a 40% reduction in stress and anxiety.

"And across the research, the wearers of this device have experienced up to a 40% reduction in stress and feelings of anxiety" (said at 0:13:23)

The claim asserts that clinical and real-world trials of the Apollo Neuro wearable device demonstrate up to a 40% reduction in stress and feelings of anxiety. Published peer-reviewed research on the Apollo Neuro device is extremely limited. A 2025 prospective randomized controlled study in medical and pharmacy students (n=66) found that 12 weeks of device use led to significant reductions in student burnout and improvements in overall wellbeing compared to waitlist control, but did not report a 40% reduction in stress or anxiety (PMID: 40816518). Furthermore, a 2025 study evaluating the Apollo Neuro device in patients undergoing ketamine-assisted therapy found no statistically significant difference in GAD-7 anxiety score changes between Apollo Neuro users and controls after propensity-score balancing (PMID: 41082834). While real-world commercial marketing claims often cite up to 40% stress reduction, peer-reviewed clinical trial data does not establish this specific magnitude or reliable anxiety reduction.

0:13:54David Perlmutter (host)overstatedvery low

Research on the Apollo Neuro device shows wearers experience up to 19% more time in deep sleep.

"up to 19% more time in deep sleep" (said at 0:13:54)

Peer-reviewed research evaluating the Apollo Neuro wearable device and sleep architecture does not show a verified 19% increase in deep (slow-wave) sleep. A retrospective observational study of 935 users wearing both the Apollo Neuro device and an Oura Ring found that device usage was associated with an increase in total sleep time (adding up to 36 minutes in short sleepers) and a higher proportion of time spent in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep at the expense of light sleep, rather than an increase in deep sleep.

0:16:32Susan Magsamenoverstatedmoderate

Research by Assal Habibi at the University of Southern California demonstrated that arts/music training alters brain structure and increases brain mass.

"we've also seen some beautiful work by Assal Habibi from University of Southern California looking at literally changing brain structure and brain mass." (said at 0:16:32)

Assal Habibi and colleagues at the University of Southern California (Brain and Creativity Institute) have conducted longitudinal neuroimaging studies tracking children enrolled in systematic music training compared to sports and non-training control groups. Their research demonstrated that childhood music training induces regional structural plasticity—specifically altering the trajectory of cortical thickness maturation in auditory association areas (such as the posterior superior temporal gyrus) and increasing fractional anisotropy in white matter tracts of the corpus callosum. However, the studies demonstrated localized cortical and microstructural neurodevelopmental changes rather than an increase in overall 'brain mass.'

0:21:12Susan Magsamenoverstatedmoderate

Music and sound effectively reduce amygdala activation in the brain.

"music and sound are are really very effective in reducing amygdala activation and I think in large part because it's so so immediate, right?" (said at 0:21:12)

Functional neuroimaging research shows that music and auditory stimuli do not simply or universally reduce amygdala activity. Instead, music robustly modulates and frequently activates the amygdala depending on acoustic features, hedonic valence, tension, and emotional content. Meta-analyses of fMRI studies demonstrate significant amygdala activation during both pleasant and unpleasant music processing, with unpleasant or dissonant music evoking strong amygdala responses. While soothing music and therapeutic sound interventions have been hypothesized or observed to help downregulate hyperactive stress circuits and amygdala reactivity in specific contexts (such as anxiety or trauma recovery), characterizing music and sound broadly as an immediate down-regulator of amygdala activation oversimplifies and overstates the bidirectional, valence-dependent engagement of the amygdala by auditory stimuli.

0:28:53David Perlmutter (host)overstatedmoderate

Japanese shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), visiting urban parks, and having houseplants reduce salivary cortisol levels.

"they're seeing incredible benefits in terms of changes, for example, in their salivary cortisol levels right off the bat, that they go down quite dramatically. And and now research is showing that that even happens in cities when people go into a park even in the city. And even happens, back to the enrichment part of the story, when people get a houseplant and put a houseplant in in their homes." (said at 0:28:53)

Evidence supports the general direction of the claim, but characterizes the effect size and consistency as modest rather than 'dramatic' or 'incredible'. A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) found a statistically significant but modest reduction in salivary cortisol compared to urban environments (mean difference -0.05 μg/dL after intervention). Similarly, randomized trials comparing natural green spaces to urban built environments demonstrate reductions in salivary cortisol and psychological distress. However, while indoor plants and biophilic elements show general stress-reducing and autonomic benefits, evidence that placing a houseplant in a home causes an immediate or large decrease in salivary cortisol is limited and based primarily on small experimental laboratory trials.

0:16:07Susan Magsamenoverstatedlow

Aesthetic experiences and engaging with art promote myelination enhancements in neural pathways.

"the myelination um enhancements that happen, too. So, creating this ability for for neural pathways to work better is is such a protective um attribute for us." (said at 0:16:07)

Broad claims that aesthetic experiences and general engagement with art enhance neural pathway myelination extrapolate heavily from specialized skill-learning literature. While intensive motor or auditory training (such as instrument practice or music-cued motor learning) can induce white matter microstructural changes on diffusion tensor imaging consistent with activity-dependent myelination, long-term developmental studies find that baseline white matter myelination trajectories proceed primarily via natural maturation regardless of musical expertise. Furthermore, direct evidence demonstrating that passive aesthetic experiences or general art appreciation induce de novo myelination in humans is lacking.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.