Visual art and flourishing: Current evidence and emerging directions

The topic of visual art viewing and flourishing has recent increases in attention, both within academic research and in the public sphere. Empirical investigations on this topic have examined a range of hedonic and eudaimonic flourishing outcomes in both museum and digital contexts. Though not without its methodological limitations, this literature suggests that art viewing-both in museums and on digital platforms-can provoke a range of emotional reactions, reduce negative affect, and cultivate eudaimonic flourishing. Recent years have seen important advances in this literature, including large scale mapping efforts to provide foundational tools and frameworks to guide future work, the introduction of mechanistic approaches to understanding how and why art viewing relates to flourishing outcomes, and more nuanced measurement approaches to capture the complexity of art engagement and the broad range of potential flourishing benefits. In this review, I provide an overview of the current state of the literature, highlight key advances in our understanding of viewing art and flourishing, and identify emerging approaches and topics that are poised to take this field in new and important directions.