Welcome to the gathering pod, the audio version of my weekly gathering room broadcast. I'm Martha Beck.

I did not realize when I put on the title to today's gathering room, microdosing joy,

that microdosing refers specifically to psychedelics. I thought it was just anything

you took in small doses. But I really like the concept of microdosing psychedelics. I've known

people who've done it. I have not done it, but they seem to enjoy it very much. And I think it's

illegal, so don't do it.

But there is very promising research that shows it might be helpful for us and it might be

legalized in the future. So all of this led me to the phrase microdosing, but I read it in a book

called Your Brain on Art, which is not about microdosing psychedelics at all,

or is it? It's by Susan MagSammon and Ivy Rose. It's called Your Brain on Art, and it's all

about how both receiving and even better creating anything artistic changes your brain,

changes your mood, changes your physical health, changes everything. Art is really good for you.

This is my point. And I wanted to combine that with another principle, which is how to change

your own patterns. So I'm reading your brain on art,

and it says that just 20 minutes a day, they call this microdosing aesthetics. So 20 minutes a day

indulging in your favorite art will noticeably change your brain and one assumes your whole life after that. So I like to draw

and paint, talk about it all the time. I also love poetry, more reading than writing,

and different creative styles of creative writing, love songs. I'm sure there's an art you enjoy.

And if you just, literally, they say if you just hum for 20 minutes, you're going to see these

really profound increases in your well-being.

So 20 minutes a day, hum or doodle, you don't have to keep it, you don't have to show anyone,

you just do something creative. You know, I've been it. You don't have to show anyone. You just do something creative.

...