On the promotion of human flourishing

Abstract

Many empirical studies throughout the social and biomedical sciences focus only on very narrow outcomes such as income, or a single specific disease state, or a measure of positive affect. Human well-being or flourishing, however, consists in a much broader range of states and outcomes, certainly including mental and physical health, but also encompassing happiness and life satisfaction, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships. The empirical literature from longitudinal, experimental, and quasiexperimental studies is reviewed in attempt to identify major determinants of human flourishing, broadly conceived. Measures of human flourishing are proposed. Discussion is given to the implications of a broader conception of human flourishing, and of the research reviewed, for policy, and for future research in the biomedical and social sciences.flourishing | well-being | happiness | family | religion

Living well: Histories of well‐being and human flourishing

“…These statements illustrate several salient features of recent approaches to the study of human well‐being in the social and behavioral sciences, as do related articles and books on the sciences of happiness and human flourishing (e.g., Kaufman, ; Seligman, ; VanderWeele, ). They emphasize empirical, measurement‐oriented assessments of happiness and well‐being.…”

Religion and health in Europe: cultures, countries, context

“…The mechanisms by which religious participation affects health may thus be numerous and quite diverse, and current evidence thus perhaps suggests that it may be the small contribution of many different pathways, rather than the substantial contribution of any specific one, that supplies religious service attendance with its powerful effects on health. Religious community thus appears to be a major pathway to human well-being [44]. The study of Ahrenfeldt et al provides evidence that this is so not only in the United States, but also, for some outcomes at least, in Europe also.…”

Leading a meaningful life at older ages and its relationship with social engagement, prosperity, health, biology, and time use

“…The sense that one is living a meaningful and worthwhile life is a key component of subjective well-being and human flourishing (1) and is related to a range of social, economic, and health factors (2). The importance of the concept to public policy has been endorsed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the United Kingdom, which has included ratings of how worthwhile people think the things they do in their lives are within the national program of personal well-being since 2011 (3).…”