A newsletter from the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project about advancing the understanding, assessment, and cultivation of well-being by means of a deep and sustained collaboration between the arts, humanities, and the social sciences.
December 2023: Building Resilience through the Arts
Researchers have found that participation in arts and culture supports the cultivation of resilience in individuals and communities, across diverse populations, and via a variety of engagement modalities.
November 2023: Cultivating Identity through the Arts
A positive sense of identity can provide a multitude of flourishing benefits to individuals and communities. Integrating our identities into the art we create and view has the potential to enrich our creative experience, help us in our journey to meaning-making, and enhance our flourishing.
October 2023: The Art of Healthy Aging
Tapping into your creative side by engaging in activities like visiting art museums and attending live performances can promote healthy aging and may even contribute to longevity.
August/September 2023: Arts on Prescription
Social prescribing is a practice that complements traditional health care systems and treatments through connecting people to resources and services in their communities to enhance individual well-being.
June/July 2023: Stressed out? Try arts and culture for relief.
Engagement with arts and humanities can offer unique ways for us to address and manage stress. This is not merely a subjective experience—it's a phenomenon that is now being validated by scientific research.
May 2023: Creating Human Flourishing
The science of creativity suggests that creative engagement is often associated with positive outcomes, such as feeling positive emotions, experiencing autonomy, and flourishing more broadly.
April 2023: Unlock Your Well-being with Artistic Immersion
By capturing our attention and transporting us to a different state of mind, immersion in the arts can lead to meaningful emotional experiences and even self-transformation.
March 2023: Less Alone with the Arts and Culture
In recent years, research has shed light on the relationship between arts engagement and loneliness, revealing the potential for museums, music, and other forms of art to combat isolation and promote connectedness.
February 2023: The Self-Esteem Boosting Power of the Arts
Self-esteem—how positively we view our own abilities and accomplishments, and how positively we believe others view us—is vital to our emotional well-being. What if we told you that the key to boosting self-esteem may be found in the arts?
January 2023: Mindful Arts Engagement
Integrating mindfulness and art has the potential to deepen our aesthetic experience and increase our ability to flourish.