The Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities

Description

This handbook examines the new and rapidly growing field of the positive humanities--an area of academic research at the intersection of positive psychology and the arts and humanities. Written by leading experts across a wide range of academic disciplines, the volume begins with an overview of the science and culture of human flourishing, covering historical and current trends in this literature. Next, contributors consider the well-being benefits of engagement with the arts and humanities, marking out neurological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social pathways to human flourishing. These pathways lead to detailed investigations of individual fields within the arts and humanities, including music, the visual arts, philosophy, history, literature, religion, theater, and film. Along the way, the book thoroughly synthesizes theory, research, and exemplary practice, concluding with thought-provoking discussions of avenues for public engagement and policy. With its expansive coverage of both the field as a whole and specialized disciplinary and interdisciplinary drivers, The Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities advances the literature on the theory and science of well-being and extends the scope of the arts and humanities. Cover Half Title The Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities Edited by Copyright Dedication Contents Foreword Preface Acknowledgments About the Editors List of Contributors Part I Overview of the Positive Humanities 1. Introduction: The Role of the Arts and Humanities in Human Flourishing 2. The Positive Humanities: Culture and Human Flourishing Part II Historical and Current Trends 3. The History of the Humanities and Human Flourishing 4. Toward a Contextual Model of Arts and Humanities Engagement and Human Flourishing 5. Flourishing Effects of Integrating the Arts and Humanities in STEM Education: A Review of Past Studies and an Agenda for Future Research Part III Flourishing Outcomes 6. Art, Music, and Literature: Do the Humanities Make Our Lives Richer, Happier, and More Meaningful? 7. Lessons for Positive Arts and Humanities from the Science of Meaning in Life 8. Cultivating Psychological Well-​Being through Arts-​Based Interventions 9. The Neuroscience of Well-​Being: A General Framework and Its Relation to Humanistic Flourishing 10. How to Encourage People to Engage with the Arts and Humanities: Suggestions from Self-​Efficacy Theory and Research 11. Understanding and Improving Emotion Regulation: Lessons from Psychological Science and the Humanities 12. Character and Virtues in the Arts and Humanities 13. Holocaust and Humanity: Depicting Realities While Creating Pathways for Future Upstanders, Strengths Use, and Flourishing Part IV Pathways from Arts and Humanities Engagement to Human Flourishing 14. The Role of Passion in the Arts and Humanities: How Quality of Engagement Matters 15. Flow in the Arts and Humanities: On Cultivating Human Complexity 16. Stories for Good: Transportation into Narrative Worlds 17. Awe, Approached 18. The Role of Reflection in Transformative Learning: Staff and Student Experiences 19. Creativity and Human Flourishing 20. The Flourishing Congregations Project: Character Strengths Pathways to Enhance Well-​Being beyond the Individual 21. No Man Is an Island: How Community Arts and Social Support Underpin Well-​Being 22. A Walk in the Sun: The Awakening of Human Flourishing in Creative Youth Development 23. Love and Other Positive Emotions in Contemporary Visual and Social Practice Art Part V Disciplinary Considerations 24. Music and Flourishing 25. Visual Arts and Community Well-​Being 26. Film and Meaning 27. Embodiment and Containment: Flexible Pathways to Flourishing in Theatre 28. Philosophy and Well-​Being 29. History and Human Flourishing: Using the Past to Address the Present 30. Practical Wisdom: What Philosophy and Literature Can Add to Psychology 31. Contributions of Reading Fiction to Well-​Being: Positive, Negative, and Ambiguous Consequences of Engaging with Fiction 32. The Holiness of Wholeness: Religious Contributions to Human Flourishing 33. Insight and Sight: The Interplay between the Humanities and Business and the Impact on Student Well-​Being 34. The Medical Humanities: Embracing the Interdisciplinary Art of Medicine and Healthcare Part VI Public Engagement and Policy 35. Investigating the Contributions of the Public Humanities to Human Development 36. “Museotherapy”: A New Concept for Promoting Health, Well-​Being, and Therapy through Art 37. Humanities and Public Policy: Forging Citizens and the Nation 38. The Contribution of the Arts to Flourishing and Health Index