On Making as a Driver for Social Capital and Happiness

Creativity is a gift, not in the sense of it being a talent, but in the sense that it is a way of sharing meaningful things, ideas, or wisdom, which form bridges between people and communities. (p.245)

For Gauntlett, the value of creativity goes beyond the individual and impacts the health of communities. To make his point, he reviews the body of psychological and sociological research around happiness and social capital. He focuses on studies by economist Richard Layard that tie happiness to social connection:

Happiness… is about family, community, and well-being. It cannot be determined by a certain level of material comfort. Instead, it stems from having meaningful connections with others, and meaningful things to do. (p.126)

He also draws on political scientist Robert Putnam’s writing on social capital to emphasize the value of communal social activity:

Bowling, or singing, or railway modeling, are all activities which may not have a direct impact upon society themselves, but when people meet up to engage in their shared enthusiasm, this provides really valuable social glue, bringing people together and fostering relationships of trust and reciprocity. (p.138)

The point of this literature review is to set up creativity and making things together as one of the best ways to develop the connections to other people that are vital for personal happiness and stable communities.

Though I feel that Gauntlett is making some pretty big leaps in logic here, I agree with the spirit of his argument. Making things encourages engagement with the world and often with other people which provides a good foundation for building social connections that are valuable for a range of reasons.