Global Flourishing Study

I am the Project Manager for Global Flourishing Study, a longitudinal research study being carried out in collaboration between scholars at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard and Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, and in partnership with Gallup and the Center for Open Science. The study will involve data collection for over 200,000 participants, from 22 geographically and culturally diverse countries, with nationally representative samples within each country, and with annual data collection on the same panel of individuals for five waves of data. The survey includes a rich set of questions on well-being along with demographic, social, economic, political, religious, personality, childhood, community, health and character-based questions.

Lomas, T., Koga, H. K., Padgett, N. P., Pawelski, J. O., Kim, E. S., Makridis, C. A., Gundersen, C., Bradshaw, M., Le Pertel, N., Shiba, K., Felton. C., Helliwell, J. F., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). Exploring associations of three evaluative subjective wellbeing measures (Cantril’s ladder, life satisfaction, happiness) with 15 childhood and demographic factors across 22 countries. Scientific Reports, 16, 8025

Despite a vast literature on subjective wellbeing (SWB), issues remain, including (a) debates around which concepts best represent it, (b) a disjointed understanding of relevant factors, and (c) limited appreciation of cross-national variation regarding (a) and (b). We address these points using data from the Global Flourishing Study on three constructs pertaining to evaluative SWB specifically (Cantril’s ladder, life satisfaction, and, perhaps more ambiguously, happiness), examining associations with 15 childhood and demographic factors across 202,898 participants from 22 countries. Key findings include, for (a) life satisfaction being the best performing construct (in correlations with overall flourishing), (b) all factors being significantly associated with all constructs (with the largest variation observed for employment status among demographic factors and self-reported health among childhood factors), and (c) patterns varying substantively across countries (suggesting the general trends are not universal but differ according to local socio-cultural dynamics). The findings advance the methodological, socio-demographic, and cross-national understanding of evaluative SWB.

Lomas, T., Nilsson, A. H., Kjell, O., Niemiec, R., Pawelski, J. O., Padgett, N. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). Differentiating balance and harmony through natural language analysis: A cross-national exploration of two understudied wellbeing-related concepts. Journal of Positive Psychology, 21(1), 173-191

Although the concepts of balance and harmony are increasingly appreciated as important in research on wellbeing, their precise meaning is often vague or unclear. This paper aims to elucidate these ideas by exploring responses by 15,275 people across 154 nations to two open-ended questions embedded after the online VIA Inventory of character strengths: “What does balance mean to you?” and “What does harmony mean to you?,” together with an item on which people prefer. Strikingly, while harmony was analysed as more positively valenced, people tended to prefer balance. This is perhaps because, using differential language-based analyses, we found people interpret harmony as mostly about relationships working well in synchrony, whereas balance seems to convey proportionality across most life domains, and hence may have more applicability and impact. The paper offers suggestions for future work on these topics, such as exploration of the relevance of culture and economics.

Lomas, T., Padgett, R. N., Pawelski, J., Makridis, C. A., Pacheco, P. A. d. l. R. F., Kim, Y.-I., Breedlove, T., Cowden, R. G., Counted, V., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). The prevalence and predictors of experiences of beauty in 22 countries: An international assessment of aesthetic appreciation in the Global Flourishing Study. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 21, 469–504.

Experiences of beauty (EoB) are an important aspect of wellbeing for many people. However, there is relatively little understanding of factors associated with EoB, especially cross-nationally. We thus present the most comprehensive international study to date on this topic, assessing an item in the Global Flourishing Study (GFS): “Do you regularly experience things that you consider beautiful? This may include physical beauty or abstract beauty like that found in music, art, or nature.” The GFS is a five-year (minimum) panel study investigating the predictors of flourishing across 22 countries, with this item featuring in the Wave 1 “mid-year” survey (N = 131,487). Besides measuring flourishing-related outcomes, the GFS assesses 15 flourishing-related factors: four demographic, eight childhood, and three that pertain to both. Overall, the strongest demographic factor (indicated by the variation among the categories in their association with EoB) was education (with EoB higher among those with more education), and the strongest childhood factor was religious service attendance (especially weekly). Even more strikingly, some childhood factors associated with EoB were those that are negative, including even abuse; while that unexpected finding does not mean appreciating such adversity as having an “upside,” it points to EoB having complex roots, including forms of suffering that potentially make people more open and sensitive to the world. The cross-cultural variation was however substantial, with most trends not universal but subject to socio-cultural dynamics. More research is needed to provide deeper understanding of this important aspect of flourishing, for which this paper is a generative foundation and impetus.

Lomas, T., Padgett, R. N., Ritchie-Dunham, J. L., Pawelski, J. O., Nilsson, A. H., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). A longitudinal outcome-wide assessment of the impact of life balance on flourishing: A 2-year cross-national analysis of 22 countries in the Global Flourishing Study. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47553-z

Despite increasing interest in the idea of life balance, there are currently no longitudinal studies examining this important aspect of human flourishing. Addressing this oversight, the current paper presents a foundational mapping study analyzing a life balance item (“In general, how often are the various aspects of your life in balance?”) in the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), a panel study investigating an extensive range of predictors and outcomes of flourishing in 22 diverse countries. We explore the association of balance at Wave 1 (207,919 participants) with 55 other flourishing-related outcomes at Wave 2 (128,868, a retention rate of 62%). For each outcome we conducted a multivariate regression analysis within each country (with random-effects meta-analyses then used to pool estimates across countries), regressing each Wave 2 outcome on Wave 1 balance, using two models, which could be understood as demarcating the plausible upper and lower bounds of the effect respectively: model 1 is less conservative, controlling for demographic and childhood variables only, whereas model 2 controls for seven principal components extracted from all contemporaneous wave 1 variables. Even under the more conservative model 2 (the “lower bound”), which risks controlling for too much, balance had a small but significant association with many aspects of flourishing, including an effect size of 0.04 with a six-domain flourishing index at the heart of the GFS (which situates balance at joint 25th when considered relative to all 68 wave 1 exposures in a predictor-wide perspective, even if methodological caution means we cannot interpret this as a substantive hierarchy). In addition to its longitudinal nature, another strength of the GFS is its multi-national design, which revealed considerable variation in effect sizes, which for the flourishing index ranged from Hong Kong and Japan (0.11) to China (-0.03). Thus, while balance seems important for flourishing, this effect is unevenly distributed, both across outcomes and countries, though more research is required to delve into why.

Lomas, T., Padgett, R. N., Warren, M. A., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). A cross-sectional analysis of male versus female flourishing among 202,898 participants across 22 countries on 73 variables in the Global Flourishing Study. Scientific Reports, 16, 10166.

A prominent debate in modern society is how males or females are faring relative to each other. Despite a vast literature, most research is constrained by two issues: a limited conceptualization and assessment of what it means to do well; and a relatively narrow, often Western-centric coverage. To address these issues, this paper examines male-female differences on 73 items relating to all aspects of wellbeing in the Global Flourishing Study, with data from 202,898 participants across 22 countries. When organizing the items into six domains according to VanderWeele’s flourishing framework, females do slightly better on three (happiness and satisfaction, social relationship quality, and meaning and purpose), and males on two (self-rated health, and financial and material security), and with character/virtue equal. While all domains are weighted equally, since females are only marginally higher on three, whereas the gaps on the two male-led ones are much bigger, males fare slightly better on an overall flourishing index. There is also considerable country-level variation throughout the findings however, showing these general trends are not universal but contingent on local socio-cultural dynamics.

Bittár, N., Håkan Nilsson, A. H., Dahlen, D., Nathanson, M., Kajonius, P. J., Kjell, O., Lomas, T., Case, B., Padgett, R. N., Chen, Y., Cowden, R., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). Flourishing in Sweden: Great overall — but not for all. International Journal of Wellbeing, 3(15).

Sweden consistently ranks among the world’s happiest nations in global surveys. However, such rankings—typically focused on one single life evaluation indicator—may obscure important differences across life domains and population subgroups. Using nationally representative data from 15,068 Swedish adults in the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), this article offers a multidimensional assessment of human flourishing in Sweden across seven domains: psychological wellbeing, purpose and meaning, character and virtue, psychological distress, physical health, social wellbeing, and financial wellbeing. Swedish respondents, on average, reported high levels of life evaluation and financial wellbeing, and low psychological distress, positioning Sweden favorably among the 22 GFS countries. However, comparatively lower scores were observed in purpose and meaning and character and virtue. When comparing population subgroups, a pronounced age gradient emerged, with older Swedes reporting higher wellbeing across nearly all domains compared to younger adults, and many indicators showing medium to large effect sizes (e.g., Cohen’s ds = 0.77 and 0.70 for loneliness and happiness, respectively). Gender and immigration-related differences indicated somewhat lower levels of flourishing among women and foreign-born individuals. The effect sizes were, however, relatively small (e.g., ds at 0.21 in traumatic distress and 0.22 in anxiety for gender and immigration, respectively). These findings highlight Sweden’s strengths in supporting wellbeing and flourishing later in life while also pointing to disparities, particularly among younger adults, but also women and foreign-born populations. The results underscore the value of a multidimensional flourishing framework that moves beyond life evaluations and national averages to identify wellbeing inequalities between sociodemographic groups, even in a country routinely ranked among the world’s happiest.

Buenconsejo, J. U., Contreras, E., Nabia, J. O., Socrates, M. C. A., Case, B., Lomas, T., Chen, Y., Cowden, R. G., Padgett, R. N., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). Flourishing in the Philippines: Country-specific insights from the Global Flourishing Study. International Journal of Wellbeing, 3(15).

Existing research on well-being has predominantly focused on relatively individualistic Western societies, with limited attention to developing and more collectivistic countries like the Philippines. This study contributes to addressing this gap by examining multidimensional well-being in a nationally representative sample of Filipinos (n = 5,292) from the first wave of the Global Flourishing Study. Specifically, differences in (1) life satisfaction and happiness, (2) physical and mental health, (3) meaning and purpose, (4) character and virtue, (5) social connectedness, and (6) financial and material stability were analyzed based on participants' sociodemographic characteristics. The results provided evidence of variation in flourishing indicators across gender, age, marital status, employment status, educational attainment, and religious service attendance, though most differences were modest in size. Some sociodemographic characteristics showed small associations with select indicators such as character-related outcomes by gender, physical and psychological well-being across age groups, and material stability across education levels. Religious attendance was more consistently associated with higher flourishing across several dimensions. These findings provide valuable insights into the multidimensional nature of flourishing and potential sociodemographic disparities in flourishing within a developing, collectivistic Southeast Asian context.

Huang, L., Xu, J., Zhao, M. Y., Hou, H., Jarden, A., Lomas, T., Padgett, R. N., Case, B., Chen, Y., Cowden, R. G., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). Flourishing in Hong Kong: An analysis of wellbeing-related outcomes in the Global Flourishing Study. International Journal of Wellbeing, 3(15), 6119.

Using population-based data from Hong Kong (N = 3,012) drawn from Wave 1 of the Global Flourishing Study, this study examines the distribution of multidimensional flourishing and explores sociodemographic variation across psychological, social, physical, and economic domains. Overall, respondents reported relatively strong happiness and life satisfaction and financial wellbeing, alongside less favourable social connectedness. Patterns of flourishing varied across age, gender, education, employment, and religious affiliation, highlighting meaningful heterogeneity within the population. Early older adults tended to show more favourable wellbeing profiles, whereas younger adults and nonreligious individuals displayed comparatively lower scores across several domains. Educational attainment and employment status were differentially associated with wellbeing outcomes, underscoring the complex relationship between socioeconomic position and flourishing in Hong Kong’s unique cultural and economic context. Together, these findings provide a population-level overview of flourishing in Hong Kong, identify subgroups that may benefit from targeted policy and public health interventions, and establish a baseline for future longitudinal monitoring of wellbeing.

Nilsson, A. H., Kajonius, P. J., Kjell, O., Dahlen, M., Schwartz, H. A., Case, B., Johnson, B., Lomas, T., Padgett, N., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). Swedish well-being: The rising importance of age among demographic, personality, and social relationship factors. SSM - Population Health, 101913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2026.101913

The main demographic and psychological correlates of Well-Being (WB) are well-established, but have not yet been assessed in the Swedish population–regularly ranked among the world’s top five ranked WB nations–based on large, nationally representative data. Using 2023 Global Flourishing Study data (N = 15,068), this paper analyzes Swedish WB across three domains: demography (e.g., gender, age, and income), individual personality traits (e.g., Big Five neuroticism and extraversion), and social relationship qualities (e.g., loneliness and relationship satisfaction). Using machine learning regression models based on these three domains, we regressed a composite 13-item WB measure–i.e., a general factor consisting of positive markers (e.g., happiness, life balance) and negative markers (e.g., depression, anxiety)--with an accuracy of r = .79 (cross-validated training) that generalized well to a holdout set (r = .79). Age was the strongest demographic marker of Swedish SWB among the 65 predictors (lasso β = .10; bivariate r = .32), only surpassed by the classically strong SWB predictors of neuroticism (β = -.33), loneliness (β = -.24), relationships satisfaction, (β = .17), and friendship contentment (β = .17). We replicated the age–SWB relationship with complementary Gallup World Poll data; spanning 2006 to 2024, and the data suggested that older Swedes have indeed pulled ahead of young Swedes in SWB, albeit only in the last five years. Further, with this paper’s focus on the demographics of WB in Sweden, it offers an unprecedented set of political identity graphs for the benefit of researchers, policymakers, and the common public. The overall conclusion is that while personality and social relationship quality are stronger markers than demography for Swedish WB, age is the strongest demographic predictor, and has grown in significance recently. The findings will ideally inform and guide Swedish public policy and politics, particularly in addressing the declining WB of young Swedes.

Ortega, F., Snower, D. J. Lomas, T., Padgett, R. N, Case, B., Chen, Y., Cowden, R. G., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2026). Well-being in the United States: Insights from the Global Flourishing Study. International Journal of Wellbeing, 15(3), 5907, 1-39.