12/23/2025
We're excited to see our seminal study "Well-being balance and lived experiences: understanding the impact of life situations on human flourishing" included in the special research topic on human flourishing co-sponsored by Frontiers Psychiatry and Frontiers Public Mental Health (https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/64976/the-influence-of-flourishing-and-its-associated-factors-on-the-mental-health-and-well-being-of-individuals/magazine)
As described in the paper, our key findings were that life situations, including relationship, parenting and employment status, had a more broad and significant effect on wellbeing than age, gender or income. Across life situations, purposeful contribution and social connection, with associated feelings of efficacy and significance were key drivers of differences in wellbeing. Mindset positivity and variety of positive experiences and feelings correspond closely with overall wellbeing. In particular, this study illustrated the importance of time affluence and agency for wellbeing. And the data suggest a unified model of motivation, mattering and meaning that integrates diverse theories into a single integrated framework.
Findings from this study, including benchmark data on the detailed wellbeing profiles of people in different life situations, can help guide the design and implementation of intervention programs to improve well-being for individuals and targeted subgroups, demonstrating the utility of the WellBalance Assessment to evaluate discrete modifiable sources of positive wellbeing (https://www.wellbalance.org/assessment). This would be a great time to take our fast and free assessment as you begin to define your personal growth goals for 2026!
