Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, a Character Strength.
One of my favorite assessments is the VIA Character Strength Survey,( created over a decade ago and offered free on the Via Institute on Character’s website https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths-via). It is based on years of research across cultures, and led by noted social scientists. They identified qualities considered the strongest part of being human.
Appreciation of beauty and excellence is my top strength, according to the survey. When I first saw this, I was a bit disappointed as it sounded superficial to me. Why not gratitude or honesty which seemed more meaningful to me and were also in my top five? Or what about kindness, which I highly value and was in my top ten, but not five?
Now, I feel differently and cherish this strength. I understand the significance of this strength and how important it is to my flourishing and the flourishing of others.
The Via report describes this strength as one where ”You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience. It is the ability to see something delightful and moving in situations, environments, or other people, a special something that others might ignore”.
This character strength typically emerges in the following places:
1. The appreciation of natural beauty, whether it is the majesty of the mountains or the delicate beauty of a perfect rose. These experiences tend to produce emotions of awe and wonder.
2. The appreciation of a skill, talent, and other forms of excellence such as those displayed by a great musician, artist, designer, or performer. These experiences tend to produce feelings of admiration. I felt this today as I walked through the Metropolitan Museum exhibition viewing amazing designs by Karl Lagerfeld or last week watching Juliet Stevenson’s tour de force performance in the play, The Doctor.
3. The appreciation of virtue and kindness in others, such as the display of goodness, kindness, forgiveness, and compassion. These experiences tend to elevate us which inspires us to be kind to others. (Ah there is kindness in this strength 😊). A recent favorite film is Mission: Joy, (@Missionjoy.org)which tells the story of the friendship between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his Holiness the Dali Lama, two leaders who lived through extreme hardships and still manage to be compassionate and find joy.
Appreciation of beauty and joy helps us to cope with emotional challenges, is associated with positive health behaviors and enhances our overall wellbeing.
Each of us has a unique combination of character strengths. Finding our strengths, exploring them and nurturing and igniting them can enhance our happiness and health. I invite you to explore yours and bring your best self to the world to help you thrive.
If you want to explore your character strengths and play a bit, reach out to me at laurie@evenkeelwellbeing.com