Art offers new perspectives on universal issues. It teaches empathy, often evokes strong emotions, and inspires critical thinking. It should come as no surprise that it also makes us kinder.
That’s per a new study by psychologists at the University of Kent (and one psychologist at the University of Lincoln) that shows art can act as a social and psychological catalyst. The researchers found that people who had greater engagement with the arts were more likely to volunteer and give to charity.
The study, entitled The Arts as a Catalyst for Human Prosociality and Cooperation, used data from an annual national longitudinal survey of 30,476 people in the U.K. conducted by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).