Artful Living

33 pages, Feburary 2014. The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise & Public Policy, 1801 Edgehill Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212, (615) 322.2872, www.vanderbilt.edu/curbcenter/

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People with more art in their lives are more happy and satisfied. In a study funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and released by the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy, Steven Tepper and a team of researchers at Vanderbilt University found that people with strong artistic practices report higher levels of life satisfaction, a more positive self-image, less anxiety about change, and a more tolerant approach toward social diversity. The report analyzes three national surveys:

• The DDB Needham Life Style Survey (DDB): the nation’s largest and longest-running
  annual survey of consumer attitudes
• The Double Major Student Survey, supported by the Teagle Foundation, assesses the link
  between creativity, interdisciplinarity, and the liberal arts by focusing on undergraduates who
  have two majors
• The Strategic National Arts Alumni project, or SNAAP, is an online survey targeted at
  graduates of arts institutions, which asks questions about their experiences both during and after
  their arts schooling

The findings of Artful Living are robust and exist across a range of artistic practices (e.g., music, theatre, crafts, creative writing). The study’s results provide a strong rationale for supporting creative practice as a component of public wellbeing.