Art Classes Don’t Just Spark Creativity, They Boost Memory And Focus Too

PAVLODAR, Kazakhstan — For many students, college life is all about lectures, textbooks, and late-night study sessions. But a new study suggests that making time for art could be just as important as studying for exams.

Researchers in Kazakhstan found that when students in non-art majors spent part of their week on creative activities like painting, music, and art history, they didn’t just improve their artistic skills. They also sharpened their focus, strengthened their memory, and became more creative thinkers overall. Even their personal values shifted, with students placing greater importance on kindness, tradition, and caring for others.

These findings, published in Acta Psychologica, support something many educators have long suspected: art is not a luxury or an “extra.” Instead, it appears to play a powerful role in helping young adults develop skills and outlooks that extend far beyond the studio or concert hall.

A Semester of Art

The study followed 127 university students majoring in management, psychology, and philology, fields that don’t normally include art courses. Researchers randomly divided them into two groups. One group continued with their usual classes, while the other added art-related sessions twice a week for a full semester. These sessions included a mix of theory and practice: lessons in art history, virtual museum tours and cultural performances, and hands-on time learning the basics of painting and music.

The setup was straightforward but carefully designed. Both groups were tested before and after the program on several skills: focus, memory, and creativity. Students also answered surveys about what they value most in life, which helped researchers see whether engaging with art influenced personal development and spiritual well-being.

Sharper Minds Through Creative Practice

By the end of the 12 weeks, the differences between the groups were clear. The students who had art woven into their schedules showed stronger concentration. They were able to stay focused longer, with less mental fatigue, compared to the control group who hadn’t taken part in art activities.

Memory also improved. The art students could recall more words in both immediate tests and delayed recall tasks, suggesting that their brains became better at holding onto information over time.

The biggest leap came in creativity. At the start, the creativity level of the students in both groups was found to be low. By the end of the semester, the control group’s score had improved but still only reached the boundary between low and medium levels. In contrast, the experimental group exhibited a creativity score at the follow-up assessment that corresponded to the boundary between medium and high levels. In other words, the art students experienced a more significant increase in their creative thinking compared to their peers who did not engage in artistic culture.

Beyond Skills: A Shift in Values

Researchers also wanted to see whether art influenced what students cared about most in life. At the start, both groups placed a lot of emphasis on pleasure and fitting in with social norms. But after three months of art exposure, the experimental group showed a noticeable shift. They began valuing achievement, kindness toward others, respect for cultural traditions, and protecting the environment more highly.

This matters because these kinds of values are often linked to well-being and a sense of purpose. As the researchers noted, spiritual health “directly affects an individual’s quality of life” and helps people find meaning, direction, and resilience in the face of challenges. For today’s college students, many of whom face stress, anxiety, and uncertainty about the future, developing this broader perspective could be just as valuable as building academic skills.

Why Art Works

Why does dabbling in art have such wide-reaching effects? The study didn’t set out to answer that directly, but there are some likely explanations. Art demands focus, patience, and practice, the same qualities needed for learning in general. Creating or even observing art also pushes students to look at the world differently, breaking away from routine ways of thinking. Music, painting, and cultural experiences all stir the imagination, making it easier to generate fresh ideas.

On a deeper level, engaging with art connects students to traditions, stories, and emotions beyond their immediate concerns. That may explain why their personal values shifted. Instead of being narrowly focused on fun or conformity, students began to place more importance on bigger-picture issues like helping others and preserving culture.

What This Means for Education

In recent years, many schools have faced pressure to prioritize science, technology, and professional training at the expense of the arts. While those fields are undeniably important, the findings here suggest that leaving art out of the equation may be a mistake.

Far from being “just enrichment,” art may play a crucial role in building the very skills students need to succeed in today’s world: sharp thinking, creative problem-solving, and the ability to adapt to change. Just as important, it may help young adults grow into more compassionate, community-minded individuals.

For educators and policymakers, the message is clear: art is not a distraction from serious study; it’s a partner to it. Including more art in the curriculum could help students not only perform better in class but also develop the kind of outlook that fosters resilience and responsible citizenship.

Proceed with Caution

Of course, this was only one study, and it had its limits. It followed a relatively small group of students from a single country over the course of just three months. That means we can’t know yet whether the improvements last long-term or whether students in other cultural settings would see the same benefits.

The researchers also didn’t break down results by gender, age, or academic field, which could provide useful insights. They emphasized that this was a pilot project — an early step toward understanding art’s impact on non-art majors. More research is needed, ideally with larger and more diverse student groups, to confirm and build on these findings.

Still, even with these limitations, the results point in an exciting direction. For students and educators alike, the takeaway is simple: adding a splash of art to the academic routine may do far more than brighten up the day. It may help shape sharper minds and kinder hearts.

Disclaimer: The findings of this study should be viewed as preliminary and exploratory, not definitive proof. Educational or curricular changes should not be based on this single study alone, and further research is needed to confirm the outcomes.