A systems perspective on human flourishing: Exploring cross-country similarities and differences of a multisystemic flourishing network

Höltge, Jan; Cowden, Richard G.; Lee, Matthew T.; Bechara, Andrea Ortega; Joynt, Shaun; Kamble, Shanmukh V.; Khalanskyi, V. V.; Shtanko, Liudmyla; Kurniati, Ni Made Taganing; Tymchenko, S.; Voytenko, Vitaliy L.; McNeely, Eileen; VanderWeele, Tyler J.

doi:10.1080/17439760.2022.2093784

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Until recently, the research focus on subjective well-being and positive mental health has been on individuals and communities from affluent westernized countries. Although researchers are turning their attention to flourishing in the Global South, low- and middle-income countries, and culturally diverse populations, major gaps still remain [ 154 , 155 , 156 ]. Even in affluent societies, flourishing is not an equally distributed asset, which raises many urgent research questions about the structural impediments to flourishing [ 157 , 158 ].…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health

Logan¹,

Berman

Prescott

2023

IJERPH

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Human flourishing, the state of optimal functioning and well-being across all aspects of an individual’s life, has been a topic of philosophical and theological discussion for centuries. In the mid-20th century, social psychologists and health scientists began exploring the concept of flourishing in the context of health and high-level wellness. However, it is only in recent years, in part due to the USD 43 million Global Flourishing Study including 22 countries that flourishing has entered the mainstream discourse. Here, we explore this history and the rapid acceleration of research into human flourishing, defined as “the relative attainment of a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good” by the Harvard University’s Flourishing Program. We also explore the construct of “vitality”, which refers to a sense of aliveness, energy, and motivation; we contend that this has been neglected in the flourishing movement. We explore why incorporating measures of vitality together with a broader biopsychosocial approach considers all dimensions of the environment across time (the total exposome), which will greatly advance research, policies, and actions to achieve human flourishing.

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Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health

Logan¹,

Berman

Prescott

2023

IJERPH

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“…A systems perspective of flourishing could provide a useful lens for guiding such decisions, which considers the dynamic interplay between the components that comprise flourishing. For example, evidence from a recent cross-cultural network analysis of flourishing ( Höltge et al, 2022 ) suggests that when intervention opportunities are limited by resource constraints, attempts to promote flourishing ought to focus on the domain/s of well-being that have the most and strongest positive relations with other domains. According to Höltge et al (2022) , one domain of well-being that evidenced more consistent and stronger associations with other domains across many countries was meaning and purpose, indicating that this domain may be a suitable target for promoting flourishing in resource-limited settings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first 10 items are evenly distributed across five underlying domains of flourishing (i.e., life satisfaction and happiness, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close social relationships). The final two items address the domain of financial and material stability, which is considered necessary for sustaining well-being over time ( Höltge et al, 2022 ; Lee et al, 2022 ). Items are rated on an 11-point response scale from 0 to 10, with orienting labels presented alongside anchor points at each end of the scale.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flourishing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study in South Africa

et al. 2023

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In this longitudinal study, we examine changes in psychological distress and multidimensional well-being from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic among South African adults. As a secondary purpose, we explore whether pre-pandemic flourishing is protective against subsequent psychological distress during the public health crisis. The analytic sample ( n = 293; Mage = 44.27, SD = 14.28; female = 65.19%) completed measures of anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and well-being shortly before the stringent nationwide lockdown started in South Africa (T1). A follow-up assessment was completed approximately 6 months later (T2). Paired samples t-tests supported very small improvements in anxiety ( d = −0.09) and depression symptoms ( d = −0.13). For domains of well-being, small increases were found in close social relationships ( d = 0.25) and financial and material stability ( d = 0.19). Positive changes in the domains of character and virtue ( d = 0.10) and meaning and purpose ( d = 0.07) were very small. Changes in physical and mental health ( d = −0.03) and life satisfaction and happiness ( d = 0.02) were more negligible. Results from the generalized linear models indicated that continuous scores of secure flourishing assessed before the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with lower subsequent psychological distress (particularly depression symptoms) during the public health crisis. We discuss the implications of the findings for the development and delivery of interventions to promote and sustain human flourishing during public health crises, especially in contexts of social-structural vulnerability.

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“…We used a range of single-item criterion variables taken from two well-validated and widely used measures: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 14-item health-related quality of life measure ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000 ; see also Moriarty et al, 2003 ) and the Secure Flourishing Index ( VanderWeele, 2017 ; see also Höltge et al, 2022 ). Criterion variables were limited to items that were available in Wave 3 of the FAHS and selected to canvas well-being as broadly as possible.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are depression and suffering distinct? An empirical analysis

Cowden

Węziak‐Białowolska

McNeely³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

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Depression and the subjective experience of suffering are distinct forms of distress, but they are sometimes commingled with one another. Using a cross-sectional sample of flight attendants (n = 4,652), we tested for further empirical evidence distinguishing depression and suffering. Correlations with 15 indices covering several dimensions of well-being (i.e., physical health, emotional well-being, psychological well-being, character strengths, social well-being, financial/material well-being) indicated that associations with worse well-being were mostly stronger for depression than suffering. There was a large positive correlation between depression and suffering, but we also found evidence of notable non-concurrent depression and suffering in the sample. After dividing participants into four groups that varied based on severity of depression and suffering, regression analyses showed higher levels of well-being among those with both none-mild depression and none-mild suffering compared to those with moderate-severe depression, moderate-severe suffering, or both. All indices of well-being were lowest among the group of participants with moderate-severe depression and moderate-severe suffering. In addition to providing further evidence supporting a distinction between depression and suffering, our findings suggest that concurrent depression and suffering may be more disruptive to well-being than when either is present alone.

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A systems perspective on human flourishing: Exploring cross-country similarities and differences of a multisystemic flourishing network

Cited by 23 publications

References 43 publications

Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health

Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health

Flourishing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study in South Africa

Are depression and suffering distinct? An empirical analysis

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