A new study led by Tyler VanderWeele, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has uncovered insights into the nuances of human flourishing and its correlation with happiness. The Global Flourishing Study explores what matters most to achieving a “good life.” It reveals some fascinating findings, key among them that flourishing doesn’t necessarily mean being happy. This research sheds light on the concerns of young people regarding their well-being and offers a comprehensive view of flourishing across different demographics and nations.
The study’s methodology involved measuring flourishing through a series of 12 questions that assessed various aspects of life, including overall life satisfaction and financial worries. The project has researchers collecting health data from an estimated 207,000 participants across the world. Through the Toolbox, they hope to develop a more nuanced understanding of what flourishing looks like. A closer look at the results reveals that Indonesia, Mexico, and the Philippines are rising stars in flourishing. At the same time, Sweden and the United States came in around the middle of the pack.
Flourishing Scores Across Nations
Indonesia pulled ahead as the overall winner in flourishing metrics, with their closest competitors being Mexico and the Philippines. Fascinatingly, many of the countries that rank the highest, such as Indonesia and Nigeria, are doing very well. They fail to rank in the top 20 of the World Happiness Report. This phenomenon underscores the break of gold prospering and happy going on at distinct cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
Felix Cheung, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, has seen a worrisome shift. Young people are more concerned than ever about their health. He stressed that external shocks, such as conflict or natural disasters, could influence flourishing more than anything else. Those obstacles too frequently exist out of personal control.
“Young people are telling us something is wrong.” – Felix Cheung
Cheung added that the unmeasured aggravators need to be thought about in an assistance cast when good size populations are coming back very negative response. He stated, “When the population isn’t happy, that’s a structural problem, and a structural problem requires structural solutions.”
Insights on Age and Flourishing
In tracking flourishing over time, the study identifies notable age trends in flourishing in 22 countries. Contrary to conventional assumption, the research showed that flourishing actually has an aging advantage. Most worryingly, it was younger people who said they were flourishing the least. VanderWeele remarked on this trend, stating, “Perhaps one of the more troubling features of this data is that we find that when we aggregate across the 22 countries, flourishing tends to increase with age.”
According to this finding, younger generations are experiencing new and different stresses that negatively affect their overall well-being. The report shines a light on the views of nearly two-thirds of the world’s people. It is uncovering a more complete picture of how various demographics succeed and prosper.
Looking Ahead: Yearly Follow-ups
Researchers intend to bring participants back each year for five years to continue exploring the nuances of flourishing. The goal of this longitudinal study is to understand how individual life conditions affect people’s well-being. It will look at what role social determinants played over time.
VanderWeele further stressed the need for self-reflection to really know what will lead to your own flourishing. He recommended that everyone personalizes their responses to the study’s 12 key questions. Providing space for this reflection will enable them to make more informed choices about their own well-being.
“One approach to reflecting on one’s own flourishing is simply to go through our 12 core flourishing questions.” – Tyler VanderWeele
The Global Flourishing Study was recently published in Nature Mental Health. First, it gives precedence to up-to-date research concerning mental health and well-being.