Ever since our Paleolithic ancestors began painting caves, carving figurines, dancing and singing, engaging in the arts has been interwoven with health and healing. Look through the early writings of every major medical tradition around the world and you find the arts. What is much newer and rapidly accelerating over the past two decades " is a blossoming scientific evidence-base identifying and quantifying exactly what the health benefits of the arts are. Randomised trials on the mental health benefits of the arts now number in triple figures, with regular singing, dancing, reading, crafts, and cultural pursuits shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress for people of all ages. Some studies suggest that combining creative arts therapies such as music therapy with antidepressants and counselling can nearly double the improvements in depressive symptoms compared with standard treatments alone. But the arts can also be beneficial preventatively. People who regularly go to the theatre, live music events, museums, galleries and the cinema have nearly half the risk of developing depression. People who are regularly engaged in cultural activities perform better on cognitive tests as they age, showing slower rates of decline in ability and a lower risk of developing dementia, and they are on average older if and when they do get that diagnosis than people who aren't engaged in the arts.