No Man Is an Island: How Community Arts and Social Support Underpin Well-Being

Abstract

This chapter explores the specific role of the arts and humanities in developing well-being through community and social support. The authors review research evidence from the arts (music, drama, dance, art, crafts) and humanities (history, literature, and poetry) and provide links between these and overarching theories of well-being. The review highlights not only the role of arts and humanities interventions in facilitating well-being but also the social and psychological mechanisms underpinning these various activities. The chapter draws on international examples of arts and humanities interventions to demonstrate the need for such interventions to embrace the sociopolitical environment within which they occur. Finally, the authors draw attention to the many avenues of further exploration regarding the role various interventions may play in supporting individual and community well-being.