The role of the arts and humanities in human flourishing: A conceptual model

Abstract

There is much debate on the value of the arts and humanities in our society. Each side provides strong arguments, but there has been little empirical research to draw on. A key reason for the lack of scientific evidence is the absence of a conceptual model on which to base investigations of the ways the arts and the humanities might contribute to human flourishing. To address this, we present a model to demarcate the domain of the arts and humanities by means of an extensional definition (e.g. majors, disciplines, and occupations) integrated with a functional analysis (i.e. modes of engagement and activities of involvement). We suggest immersion, embeddedness, socialisation, and reflectiveness as mechanisms by which the arts and humanities may enhance various forms of human flourishing. We conclude with implications of the model and ideas for future research to investigate the effects of the arts and humanities on human flourishing.

Keywords:

• Arts
• humanities
• flourishing
• well-being
• physiology
• neurology
• affect
• competencies
• virtue
• civic engagement

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the following individuals for their encouragement and feedback on drafts of this manuscript: Beth Blum, Norman Bradburn, Angus Fletcher, Hunter Gelbach, Peggy Kern, Darrin McMahon, David Miall, David Myers, Keith Oatley, Martin Seligman, Caitlin Younce, the members of the Seligman Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, and the reviewers of this journal.