Appreciating beauty is not a luxury; it is an important ingredient of a satisfying life.

The Harvard Grant Study found appreciation of beauty to be a predictor of life satisfaction.

Beauty can inspire awe, connectedness, and prosocial behavior, extending beyond personal pleasure.

Most of us are instinctively drawn to beauty. We pause to admire a beautiful landscape, are moved by a piece of music, or find ourselves lingering in front of a painting. Yet, when it comes to life's priorities, beauty and art are often treated as second order: pleasant additions, perhaps, but hardly essential. Worse, an interest in aesthetics can sometimes be dismissed as superficial or unsubstantial, as though paying attention to beauty means neglecting more important things.

I must confess that this attitude has always been rather alien to me. I grew up in a family where art and culture were considered fundamental ingredients of a good life. My father founded and managed a municipal Endowment of the Arts, and my parents believed deeply in Bildung—the cultivation of the mind and spirit through education and culture. Art deserved time, attention, and space, irrespective of other priorities. It was a human need, not an indulgence. My parents also believed in discernment:........

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