The Role of Passion in the Arts and Humanities: How Quality of Engagement Matters

Abstract

The arts and humanities are prevalent sources of passion. Whether it is through performing them or appreciating the performance of others, the type of passion that individuals have for the arts and humanities can shape a variety of outcomes. Following the model proposed by Tay, Pawelski, and colleagues (2018, 2019), the present chapter documents the role of passion for the arts and humanities in personal outcomes such as emotions, creativity, performance, well-being, and identity processes. Research on passion for the arts and humanities demonstrates that the type of passion matters: while engaging in the arts and humanities out of harmonious passion leads to adaptive outcomes and even protects against negative ones, being obsessively passionate may be maladaptive. Thus, while engagement in the arts and humanities has the potential to contribute to human flourishing, the quality of engagement matters for those who are passionate about these domains.