Literary and artistic practices, higher researcher happiness, and no lower scientific performance

Abstract

[EN] Literary and artistic practices are widespread among researchers, yet their role in academic careers remains poorly understood. This study examines whether engagement in such practices is associated with researcher happiness, how this relationship depends on perceived science-art balance, and whether engagement is linked to lower research performance. We extend research on academic well-being beyond institutional pressures to consider personal creative practices and introduce the concept of science-art balance-distinguishing positive and negative dimensions-to explain how perceived compatibility is related to happiness. Using a two-wave survey of over 2,500 Spanish researchers combined with bibliometric data, we find that broader artistic engagement is positively associated with happiness and is not associated with lower subsequent scientific production or citation impact. These findings suggest that research evaluation and governance arrangements need not treat artistic engagement as professionally risky, as modest recognition of such practices may support career sustainability without undermining scientific performance.