Character strength · Transcendence
Appreciation of beauty: the character strength explained
The short answer: appreciation of beauty and excellence is noticing and being moved by beauty, skill and goodness: in nature, art, music, a well-made object, or an act of moral courage. It is one of the 24 character strengths of the VIA classification, in the Transcendence family: the strengths that connect you to something larger than yourself.
What appreciation of beauty looks like
People with a lot of appreciation of beauty tend to:
- stop to look at a sunset, a building or a well-set table
- feel moved, sometimes to tears, by music, a film or a performance
- admire great skill in any field, from a chef to a goalkeeper
- feel uplifted when they see someone do something truly good
- seek out museums, concerts, gardens or hikes
In everyday life
At work, this strength might show as care for quality and craft, or admiration for a colleague's excellent work. In everyday life, it is noticing the light on a building on the walk home, or the elegance of a well-designed tool.
It has three faces: beauty (in nature and art), skill (excellence in performance) and virtue (being moved by goodness in others).
Appreciation of beauty and the strengths close to it
- Gratitude is thankful for good things. Appreciation of beauty is moved by them.
- Spirituality and awe often begin with an experience of beauty.
- Curiosity goes looking; appreciation of beauty stops and takes it in.
When appreciation of beauty is overdone, or underused
Like every strength, appreciation of beauty works best in the right amount. Overdone, it can become perfectionism, snobbery, or dissatisfaction with anything ordinary. Underused, days pass without noticing anything, and life can feel gray even when it is full of beautiful things.
The aim is noticing, often, the beauty and excellence already around you.
Is appreciation of beauty one of your top strengths?
Ask yourself:
- Do you often stop to admire something that others walk past?
- Are you deeply moved by music, art, nature or great skill?
- Do you feel inspired when you see someone act with real goodness?
If you answered yes to most of these, appreciation of beauty may be one of your signature strengths. The only way to know how it compares with your other 23 is to rank them.
Find your top strengths with the free test
Where this comes from
The 24 character strengths were described by psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman in Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification (2004). Happy Me's assessment uses public-domain questions from the International Personality Item Pool and is not affiliated with the VIA Institute.