International Journal of Wellbeing (IJW)
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The self at play: Exploring the core developmental origins of positive psychological well-being
Get PDFPositive psychological well-being (PPWB) has emerged as a significant factor associated with increasing health-enhancing behaviors and decreasing participation in health-risk behaviors as well as mitigating risk for non-communicable diseases. In its simplest form, PPWB refers to an individual's inner sense that their life is going well. However, PPWB has been conceptualized, defined, measured, and studied in myriad ways, causing confusion for both researchers and practitioners as to the essence of this inner sense and the mechanisms underlying its development. This is problematic for those conducting interventions to enhance PPWB across the lifecourse as effectiveness is limited by ambiguity and undue complexity. Guided by a developmental lifecourse perspective, the purpose of this conceptual review/essay is to explore the developmental origins of PPWB, which have rarely been sought. In exploring developmental origins we uncovered four innate, central potentialities—flow, autonomy, biophilia, eudaimonia—that comprise a synchronous expressive self with a strong connection to PPWB. When nurtured in early childhood and adolescence via quality parenting and play experiences, the expressive self produces a positive inner sense that life is going well as a natural byproduct or outcome that is sustainable throughout the lifecourse. These relationships remain strong within both Western and non-Western cultures
Academic flourishing and student formation
Get PDFIn this paper we put forward various conceptual and empirical proposals for assessing the flourishing of an academic institution and its role in student formation. We consider the breath and variation of various university and college mission and vision statements and their implications for student formation and for what might be considered as reasonable bounds for the scope of an educational institution’s contributions to student flourishing. We comment upon and argue for the importance of student and character formation even to attain a university’s more cognitive and epistemic goals and ends. We discuss the core purposes of the university beyond student formation and also broader notions of what it means for a college or university to flourish as an academic community. We propose various assessments that might be of use in evaluating such academic flourishing. Finally, we point towards some practical resources that can be used to potentially strengthen student formation and the flourishing of academic institutions and the need for further curation, evaluation, and implementation of such resources to better promote academic flourishing
A country-specific all-outcome approach to the Global Flourishing Study: The origin, aims, and process of the country-specific special issue
Get PDFThe Global Flourishing Study (GFS) is a unique longitudinal panel study investigating the distribution and determinants of human flourishing across 22 diverse countries. Given such a comprehensive dataset, there are many ways of approaching, analysing, and discussing the data. The core GFS team is conducting an extensive series of studies, each focusing on a specific flourishing outcome indicator across all GFS countries. Another valuable and complementary approach is to concentrate on specific countries across all outcomes, which is precisely the nature of this special issue, which features separate papers for each GFS country. The papers are all led by scholars in or from the different countries, in partnership with researchers on the core GFS team. Given the unique nature of this collaborative endeavour, this introductory paper sets out the process through which this special issue came into being. Besides highlighting the value of this kind of research partnership, this paper thus also offers a foundation and guide for similar initiatives in the future
Understanding Well-Being in Poland: Insights from the Global Flourishing Study
Get PDFThis study explores well-being in Poland across psychological, social, economic, and spiritual dimensions, situating it within a global context using data from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS). Data from 10,389 individuals representative of the Polish population were analyzed. The study examined multiple well-being indicators including psychological, social, spiritual, and economic outcomes, alongside health, character strengths and prosocial behaviors. Variations in well-being were assessed based on demographic factors, including gender, age, marital status, religiosity, immigration status, and labor market status. Poles report relatively higher psychological well-being, including happiness, life satisfaction, present life evaluation, inner peace, and life balance compared to global metrics of GFS countries. Perceived freedom and optimism are slightly lower. Retirees (aged 60+) exhibit notable psychological resilience, and spiritual flourishing. Social well-being highlights strong social support but low community participation. Psychological distress, including depression and traumatic suffering, is less prevalent than in other GFS countries. However, physical health presents mixed results - self-rated health is comparatively high and physical pain is less common, risky behaviors (smoking, drinking, low exercise frequency) remain concerns. Character strengths and prosocial behavior, such as delayed gratification, gratitude, forgiveness, and volunteering are lower than GFS means. Financial and material security is relatively strong, yet religious engagement is shifting: despite declining institutional participation, 61% of Poles find spiritual comfort, and 28% meditate or pray daily. Poland’s well-being landscape reflects both strengths and challenges, with notable demographic differences
The influence of psychological climate for caring and perceived insider status on the relationship between managerial caring and positive employee well-being
Get PDFLearning the factors that positively impact employee well-being is not a new stream of study. The care and support provided by managers can influence employees’ motivation and overall well-being. The positive emotional environment created by a caring climate can significantly impact how individuals feel and function in their professional lives. Additionally, perceived insider status, which reflects a sense of belonging and integration, can positively affect self-esteem and well-being. Social identity theory posits that positive well-being occurs when individual employees feel that they are surrounded by a climate of care signaled by the direct manager and overall employee acceptance within the organization, which ultimately influences their overall positive well-being. This study collected data from 197 employees working in the service sector in different industries within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through survey questionnaires using a convenience sampling technique. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) version 4 was used to analyze the dataset and test the hypotheses. The results indicate that managerial caring relates positively to positive employee well-being. Furthermore, a psychological climate of care and perceived insider status serially mediate the relationship between managerial caring and positive employee well-being. Thus, this study offers new insights into the importance of managerial care in employees’ positive well-being within their organizations, as well as the caring model among managers and employees. Managers who show and develop an atmosphere of care toward employees enhance their positive well-being
Subjective well-being and chronic illnesses: A combined survey and register study
Get PDFPopulations are ageing, and higher proportions live with chronic illnesses. Understanding the association between health and well-being and being able to predict who may experience the largest detriment in well-being is essential if societies are to maintain high levels of social welfare. Our study places itself in the limited literature examining the association between chronic illness and subjective well-being (SWB). We offer a unique contribution to the literature by studying different domains of SWB and by investigating variation in SWB. A cross-sectional survey of a representative group of Danish citizens aged 50-80 is linked with national register data containing comprehensive information on health and social issues. We identify six common chronic illnesses. In addition to general life satisfaction, we also measure SWB in seven domains of life, including health, using the Personal Wellbeing Index. Health state is measured by EQ-5D-5L. We use OLS and adjust for socio-demographics, lifestyle, personal skills, preferences, and personality traits. In a range of heterogeneity analyses we explore the role of 22 personal characteristics as predictive factors of SWB when being chronically ill. We also examine two possible sources of variation in SWB. We find robust evidence of negative associations between chronic illness and older individuals’ SWB beyond the health domain. When ascertaining the influence of personal characteristics, we find that some factors predict vulnerability. Interestingly, heterogeneity in SWB across personal characteristics stem from differential health state and in some cases from differences in the association between SWB and health
A flexible map of flourishing: The dynamics and drivers of flourishing, well-being, health, and happiness
Get PDFConcepts like flourishing, well-being, health, and happiness are of increasing interest across many fields, from psychology and medicine to politics and economics. However, these terms are used in diverse and contested ways, which makes it hard to find common ground and understanding. To attempt to help remedy the confusion, this paper offers an overarching conceptual “map” within which these concepts can be situated, thereby providing a common language and framework for their consideration. Moreover, while the overall configuration of this map is conceptually and logically stable, its specific elements are more flexible, particularly in terms of scalable granularity (allowing fine-grained differentiation of internal regions) and epistemological openness (allowing revisions in light of gains in knowledge). As such, the map can be adapted to suit different fields, and updated to accommodate advances in understanding. To that end, we clarify topics of investigation that are still in need of development, providing a roadmap for future research
On the importance of congruence between personal and work values – How value incongruence affects job satisfaction: A multiple mediation model
Get PDFThis study proposes a novel conceptualization of work values designed to quantify the degree of incongruity between personal values and workplace demands. We define work values as the priorities individuals wish to be recognized for in their workplace, while personal values are those the individual personally identifies with. By contrasting personal and work values, we provide evidence for value incongruence among employees and showed that this measurement of value incongruence effectively predicts key job-related metrics. Value incongruence directly reduces job satisfaction, but its primary impact is indirect. Our multiple mediation analysis reveals that it mainly affects job satisfaction through perceived job meaningfulness, relationships with supervisors, and opportunities for career advancement. We discuss the implications of our findings for various stakeholders and suggest potential improvements for individual and societal well-being linked to the future of work
The effect of a short mindfulness meditation practice on positive mental health: Self-transcendence as a mediating process
Get PDFIn two randomized controlled trials, we tested the effect of two attentional mindfulness meditation practices on positive mental health. We hypothesized that attentional meditation would increase various positive emotions (gratitude, interest, hope, pride, elevation, and awe) via three processes induced by mindfulness (body awareness, meta-awareness, and self-transcendence) and that positive self-transcendent emotions would in turn increase positive mental health (well-being and inner peace). This hypothesis was tested in two randomized online experiments. Participants were assigned to either a body scan meditation, a breath meditation, or a condition in which they listened to a story (active control). Various positive emotions, mindfulness-induced processes, and well-being/inner peace were assessed with self-reports. Experiment 1 (n = 166) revealed that practicing a 21-min body scan or breath meditation significantly increased positive emotions (in particular, elevation, gratitude, and pride) and that self-transcendence significantly mediated that effect. Experiment 2 (n = 127) replicated these findings in regard to positive emotions with a shorter, 11-min practice and revealed that two self-transcendent positive emotions (elevation and gratitude), but not pride—a more self-centered positive emotion—significantly mediated the effect of attentional meditation practice on well-being and inner peace. The implications of these results are discussed
Embodied emotional expressions for intuitive experience sampling methods: A demographic investigation with Japanese speakers
Get PDFExperience Sampling Method (ESM) is a research procedure for monitoring ever-changing subjective emotions in our daily lives. A typical method asks participants, several times a day, to report and rate their emotions in terms of pre-defined adjective scales (e.g., “2 for sad,” and “5 for happy”). When a scale includes many adjectives, rating time is increased for participants. However, when few adjectives are provided, respondents may struggle to find descriptors that truly match their internal state, making it difficult to express the complex nuances of multiple emotions. This paper reports the development of a novel approach to ESM in which participants choose only a single word that intuitively expresses common emotion categories and intensities with minimal demands on their time. To achieve this capability, we conducted a survey with 14,321 Japanese speakers that presented a list of intuitive and embodied emotional expressions such as mimetics (e.g., “thump-thump”) and interjections (e.g., “wow”) in Japanese, categorized according to the eight primary emotions and three levels of emotional intensity used in the Plutchik model, and asked them to choose the expressions they use in their daily lives. The results showed that the most frequently used expressions were generally consistent irrespective of gender or age, and that people differentiated their use of expressions according to the category and intensity of their emotions. Our findings indicate that it is possible to create a single common list of expressions that can be used by all genders and ages to efficiently and intuitively express nuanced emotions appropriate to their inner states without the person having to think deliberately