The Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities

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.

Louis Tay is the William C. Byham Associate Professor in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Purdue University. He is coeditor of Big Data in Psychological Research and the Handbook of Well-Being. He served as the Founding Research Director of the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project and is the founder of ExpiWell, a technology platform for experience sampling research and well-being development. James O. Pawelski is a Professor of Practice and the Director of Education in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is the Founding Director of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program and the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project, which has been designated a National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab. As a philosopher who has worked in positive psychology and related areas for more than twenty years, he has authored and edited four books for academic and lay audiences and is the editor of the Oxford University Press book series on the Humanities and Human Flourishing.