JOURNAL ARTICLES FROM THE HUMANITIES AND HUMAN FLOURISHING TEAM
Examining the Flourishing Impacts of Repeated Visits to a Virtual Art Museum and the Role of Immersion.
Cotter, K.N., Crone, D.L., Rodriguez-Boerwinkle, R.M., Boerwinkle, M., Silvia, P.J., & Pawelski, J.O. (2022). Examining the Flourishing Impacts of Repeated Visits to a Virtual Art Museum and the Role of Immersion. Behavioral Sciences 12(12), 500. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/12/12/500
Visiting art museums has been associated with a range of flourishing outcomes. However, there have been recent shifts towards increasing digital engagement with art, leading to a radical change in how people experience visual art. Given the now expansive virtual art viewing options, it is important to understand whether digital engagement can also lead to greater flourishing, and, if so, under what conditions. We examined the flourishing effects of viewing art in a virtual gallery in a pre-registered experiment comprising four sessions over four weeks, with varying viewing instructions designed to increase immersion. Participants were recruited from a USA representative sample on Prolific, resulting in a final sample of 687 participants. People were randomly assigned to one of nine experimental conditions. Eight art viewing conditions involved four 15 min virtual gallery visits with viewing instructions varying on two factors: slow-looking and immersive mindset framing. An active control condition involved reading about (but not viewing) art. Participants completed a battery of baseline flourishing measures in week 1, completed experimental art engagement sessions during weeks 1–4, and completed the battery again in week 5. While immersion levels were greater in the viewing conditions than the reading condition, growth in flourishing did not differ across condition. Exploratory analyses, however, showed that immersion during the gallery visits did predict some changes in specific facets of flourishing (e.g., engagement, meaning, autonomy satisfaction). We suggest a number of possible explanations for these null results and point to what is needed in future research.
Flourishing Aims of Art Museums: A Survey of Art Museum Professionals
Cotter, K. N., Crone, D. L., & Pawelski, J. O. (in press). Well-being aims of art museums: A survey of art museum professionals. Empirical Studies of the Arts. https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374221118528
People visit art museums for many reasons—to see something beautiful or famous, to learn more about art, or to experience a sense of awe. Recently, there has been increased interest in how art museum engagement can promote flourishing. Little is known, however, about how the professionals shaping these art museum experiences (e.g., curators, educators, front of house staff) view art museums as institutions that can promote flourishing outcomes. In the present research, we examined the perceptions of 208 art museum professionals regarding the functions of art museums and their ability to impact both well-being (e.g., empathy, self-acceptance) and ill-being (e.g., anxiety, loneliness) factors. The findings suggest that art museum professionals feel that the well-being of visitors should be emphasized as a goal more strongly than it currently is, and that there are some well-being and ill-being components (e.g., empathy, helping, closed-mindedness) that should receive greater attention than others.
A Meta-Analysis of Religion/Spirituality and Life Satisfaction
Yaden, D.B., Batz-Barbarich, C.L., Ng, V., Vaziri, H., Gladstone, J.N., Pawelski, J.O., & Tay, L. (2022). A Meta‑Analysis of Religion/Spirituality and Life Satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00558-7
Human engagement with religion and spirituality is pervasive across the world, yet the extent to which religious and/or spiritual involvement promotes well-being is controversial theoretically and empirically. In the largest meta-analysis of religion/spirituality and life satisfaction to date (k=256, N=666,085), an overall efect size was computed (r=.18; 95% CI .16–.19; p<.01). Five dimensions of religion/spirituality were then examined separately to gauge their relationships with life satisfaction. Each dimension of religion/ spirituality was signifcantly and positively associated with life satisfaction: religiosity (r=.16, 95% CI .14–.17, p<.01), spirituality (r=.30, 95% CI .25–.35, p<.01), religious attendance (r=.11, 95% CI .09–.13, p<.01), religious practices (r=.14, 95% CI .10–.18, p<.01), and religious/spiritual experiences (r=.29, 95% CI .24–.33, p<.01). The overall efect was moderated by several study-related variables, with a stronger relationship found in samples with higher average age, in more recent studies, in developing nations, and in countries with a higher percentage of people who consider religion very important in their lives. The theoretical and practical implications of the meta-analysis are discussed.
Art museums as institutions for human flourishing
Cotter, K.N. & Pawelski, J.O. (2022). Art museums as institutions for human flourishing. The Journal of Positive Psychology. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.2016911
Visiting art museums is a common activity that a wide variety of people choose to engage in for many reasons. Increasingly, communities, nations, and societies are turning to art museums as institutions to enhance flourishing (i.e., reducing ill-being factors, such as depression, and increasing well-being factors, such as feelings of belonging). In this paper, we review the psychological literature examining art museum visitation and museum program participation and their associations with flourishing-related outcomes. The literature suggests art museum visitation is associated with reductions in ill-being outcomes and increases in well-being outcomes. Additionally, programs targeting flourishing outcomes in clinical or at-risk populations (e.g. people living with dementia, older adults) show benefits to participants, with visits to art museums being socially prescribed across the globe to address a variety of ill-being conditions. Implications for existing knowledge and avenues for future research are discussed.
Collective wellbeing and posttraumatic growth during COVID-19: How positive psychology can help families, schools, workplaces and marginalized communities
Waters, L., Cameron, K., Nelson-Coffey, S.K., Crone, D.L., Kern, M.L., Lomas, T., Oades, L., Owens, R.L., Pawelski, J.O., Rashid, T., Warren, M.A., White, M.A., & Williams, P. (2021). Collective wellbeing and posttraumatic growth during COVID-19: How positive psychology can help families, schools, workplaces and marginalized communities. Journal of Positive Psychology. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.1940251
Positive psychology approaches have been shown to play a vital role in protecting mental health in times of challenge and are, therefore, important to include when studying the psychological outcomes of COVID-19. While existing research has focused on individual psychological health, this paper focuses on collective wellbeing and collective posttraumatic growth, with the aim of more clearly identifying the positive experiences and potential for positive growth for key institutions in our society during the pandemic. A range of positive psychology interventions for families, schools, workplaces, and clinical psychology are presented. The paper then considers how three broad-reaching phenomena existing in our wider society (i.e., arts and culture, eco-connection, and wellbeing literacy) can be used to boost collective wellbeing. A positive systems approach to understand civilian responses to the pandemic together with an examination of the role that positive psychology can play in supporting marginalized groups are also discussed.
STEM or humanities? Toward a balance of interest fit
Vaziri H, Tay L, Parrigon S, Bradburn NM and Pawelski JO (2019) STEM or humanities? Toward a balance of interest fit. Frontiers in Education. 4:143. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2019.00143
Despite a growing number of studies demonstrating the importance of fit between interests and major/career, an increasing discordant rhetoric can be heard emphasizing either STEM or the humanities in education and work. We propose that perception of interest fit is more important than the domain itself per se. Analysis of a national data set of college graduates (N = 8,151) shows that interest fit accounted for more variance in well-being outcomes (work satisfaction, life satisfaction, and financial satisfaction) as compared to STEM or humanities education, and an equivalent amount of variance was found in personal income. Similar trends were found in a second data set of recent college graduates from a Midwest public university (N = 636). Even controlling for ability-related variables and personality, interest fit accounted for more variance in work satisfaction and life satisfaction, an equivalent amount of variance in financial satisfaction, and less variance in personal income. These results reveal that it is important to achieve a balanced approach to education and career guidance where individuals can be directed to careers that capture their interest.
Arts and humanities engagement: An integrative conceptual framework for psychological research
Shim, Y., Tay, L., Ward, M., & Pawelski, J. O. (2019). Arts and humanities engagement: An integrative conceptual framework for psychological research. Review of General Psychology, 23(2), 159–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/1089268019832847
Psychologists are increasingly interested in studying the psychological effects of engaging with various forms of the arts and humanities because of their significance and ubiquity in human life. There is, however, a lack of a robust conceptual framework to support a systematic and integrative approach to the study of the psychological effects of the arts and humanities. Through an extensive review of the extant literature on conceptual and operational definitions of the arts and humanities engagement from historical, institutional, and disciplinary perspectives, the present article further expands an initial conceptualization of the arts and humanities presented in Tay, Pawelski, and Keith. The implications and limitations of the integrative conceptual framework of arts and humanities engagement, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.
History, literature, and philosophy: A systematic review of positive functioning
H. Vaziri, L. Tay, M. G. Keith & J. O. Pawelski (2019). History, literature, and philosophy: A systematic review of positive functioning, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14:6, 695-723, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2018.1545041
The humanities are instrumental to human development and happiness and are an integral part of our lives. However, a lack of empirical research limits our current understanding of the role the humanities play in the well-being of individuals, communities, and societies. Through a systematic search of the literature, we identify and review empirical studies that investigate whether engagement with history, literature, and philosophy influences individual’s well-being (i.e. psychological well-being, subjective well-being, and virtues). The results suggest that studies investigating such influences are limited and mainly conducted in pedagogical settings. At the same time, these studies provide initial evidence for the positive effects of engagement in the humanities on individual well-being. Through this review, we identify gaps in the literature and provide recommendations for future research.
The role of the arts and humanities in human flourishing: A conceptual model
Tay, L., Pawelski, J. O., & Keith, M. G. (2018). The role of the arts and humanities in human flourishing: A conceptual model. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1-11. doi:10.1080/17439760.2017.1279207
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.
Defining the ‘positive’ in positive psychology: Part I. A descriptive analysis
Pawelski, J. O. (2016). Defining the ‘positive’ in positive psychology: Part I. A descriptive analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(4), 339-356. doi:10.1080/17439760.2015.1137627
Positive psychology has made a remarkable impact on psychological research and practice in recent years. Significant further work is needed, however, to clarify its core concepts. In a two-part project, the author presents the first systematic analysis of the most basic concept in positive psychology: the ‘positive’. Part I, presented here, consists of a descriptive analysis. Based on a close reading of founding documents in positive psychology, this analysis reveals six discrete meanings of the positive in these texts, then probes the considerable tensions that arise within and among them and lead to unfortunate confusions in theory, research, and practice. In Part II, the author draws various distinctions to help relieve these tensions and offers a normative definition of the positive, with the goals of providing direction for inquiry and practice and encouraging further analysis of this and other basic concepts in positive psychology.
Defining the ‘positive’ in positive psychology: Part II. A normative analysis
Pawelski, J. O. (2016). Defining the ‘positive’ in positive psychology: Part II. A normative analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(4), 357-365. doi:10.1080/17439760.2015.1137628
Positive psychology has made a remarkable impact on psychological research and practice in recent years. Significant further work is needed, however, to clarify its core concepts. In a two-part project, the author presents the first systematic analysis of the most basic concept in positive psychology: the ‘positive’. Part I consists of a descriptive analysis. Based on a close reading of founding documents in positive psychology, this analysis reveals six discrete meanings of the positive in these texts, then probes the considerable tensions that arise within and among them and lead to unfortunate confusions in theory, research, and practice. In Part II, presented here, the author draws various distinctions to help relieve these tensions and offers a normative definition of the positive, with the goals of providing direction for inquiry and practice and encouraging further analysis of this and other basic concepts in positive psychology.