What If Beauty Could Heal Us?

What If Beauty Could Heal Us?
by Sarah Sears

What if the choices we make as leaders—about our businesses, nonprofits, and the government agencies we serve—could reverse trauma and heal communities, one lived experience at a time?

As a designer, I’ve always understood intuitively that beauty matters. And that how things look, sound, and feel is more than surface level. The color and light within a physical space, brand aesthetics, the typography we choose, and the art we experience all send a message. These decisions shape how people engage with one another, how teams show up to do their work, and how communities experience a place.

Even something as simple as the design of a chair, how it supports your body, invites rest, or signals welcome, can shape how someone feels in a moment, in a meeting, in a life.

I’ve sensed this truth deep within me for years: that the design of spaces, businesses, objects, or experiences can create clarity and connection or confusion and, sometimes, harm. What’s exciting is that the science is validating our assumptions.

The emerging field of neuroaesthetic research explores how our brains respond to art, design, music, and sensory experiences. It confirms what many of us already know: design and art don’t just make things “pretty”; they can ease anxiety, boost learning, restore focus, and even help us heal.

We’re now seeing this applied in extraordinary ways. At Johns Hopkins, neuroaesthetic principles inform design spaces that reduce stress and support resilience for healthcare workers. In Kansas City, trauma-informed schools are rethinking how classroom design can help students feel safe, calm, and ready to learn.

A compelling example of neuroaesthetics reversing trauma is the Creative Forces initiative, a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This program integrates creative arts therapies such as music, dance, and visual arts into clinical settings to support service members and veterans experiencing PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.

We may not all be designers, artists, or architects, but we are all experience-makers. Whether we lead businesses, nonprofits, or civic institutions, we make choices that affect how people feel, engage, and connect. These choices can reinforce stress and disconnection cycles or create the conditions for healing, trust, and belonging.

The future of leadership is beautiful. When we consider all the aspects of work and life, there are more ways than ever for us to contribute through beauty, design, and the arts to shape more humane and healing experiences for all Oklahomans.