Arts and Human Flourishing: Psychological Pathways of the RAISE Model

Abstract

Arts engagement has been associated with well-being; however, less is known about the psychological processes that may explain its relationship with human flourishing. This study examined the association between arts engagement and human flourishing in university students, as well as the predictive role and indirect associations of the RAISE model pathways: Reflection, Acquisition, Immersion, Socialization, and Expression. A quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with 263 students from a private university in Monterrey, Mexico, who participated in institutional or independent arts activities. Participants completed a measure of arts engagement, the Flourishing Scale, and scales assessing mechanisms of engagement in the arts and humanities. Descriptive analyses, Pearson correlations, multiple linear regression, and a parallel mediation model with 10,000 bootstrap resamples were conducted. Arts engagement was not directly associated with human flourishing. Nevertheless, the regression model explained 40.5% of the variance in flourishing, and Acquisition and Expression were significant predictors. Both pathways also showed significant specific indirect effects between arts engagement and flourishing.