Well-being balance and lived experiences assessment: a valid, comprehensive measure of positive well-being.

Introduction: Widely used measures of self-reported subjective well-being and flourishing generally do not directly measure positive experiences that have been demonstrated to improve subjective well-being and flourishing, which could aid in developing personalized interventions to improve individuals' well-being. The present study evaluated the validity of the Well-being Balance and Lived Experience (WBAL) Model and Assessment, a new model of well-being and corresponding assessment instrument that evaluates the self-reported frequency of positive experiences and positive feelings of well-being, balanced across activation and arousal levels. Methods: A total of 496 evaluable subjects completed the WBAL Assessment, the PERMA+ Profiler (PERMA+) and the Well-Being Assessment Adult 24-item (WBA-24). A confirmatory factor model corresponding to the WBAL construct was created, and internal and external validity of the WBAL Assessment were interrogated. Results: The confirmatory factor model showed good fit, indicating that each of the model factors are related but distinct and all items load significantly onto their factors. The WBAL Assessment demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.95) and internal validity across well-being factors and Feelings (r = 0.96) and Experiences (r = 0.94) domains. The WBAL Assessment demonstrated strong convergent validity in comparison to PERMA+ (r = 0.80) and WBA-24 (r = 0.75), indicating that the WBAL Assessment measures a similar overall concept of well-being and flourishing. Discriminant validity of WBAL factors was demonstrated for an average of 14.3 of 17 comparator domains. The main differences between instruments are WBAL's assessment of positive Experiences, the comparator instruments' inclusion of feelings with negative valence, and WBA-24's inclusion of financial stability. Discussion: The WBAL Assessment is a reliable and valid instrument to comprehensively measure positive aspects of well-being that evaluates multiple modifiable contributors to individuals' well-being to guide design of personalized assessment and intervention programs to enhance positive well-being.

Centering and flourishing: an online intervention study assessing the effects of a Christian contemplative practice on stress-reduction and human flourishing.

Despite widespread engagement in contemplative religious practices, comparatively little research has been conducted on their potential effects on well-being. Furthermore, few studies have focused on how an explicitly religious framing may impact the outcomes of such practices. In this online randomized controlled trial (N = 702), we tested the well-being effects of a contemplative prayer practice called Centering Prayer on self-identifying Christians. We compared 1) presenting the practice with an explicitly religious framing (experimental condition), 2) presenting the practice without an explicitly religious framing (active control), and 3) presenting simple instructions to reflect on the day, without any instructions regarding a meditation-like practice (passive control). After randomization into one of these three conditions, participants were asked to complete their assigned practice daily for 28 days. We hypothesized that the religious framing version of the practice would increase well-being over the active and passive control conditions. Well-being was assessed at three follow-up time points: one day, one week, and one month after the practice period. We found no group differences between the conditions on our primary outcome measure of well-being at one-week post-intervention. Each group increased in well-being from baseline to follow-up. We found significant group differences on acute measures of spiritual experience, the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30) and Daily Spiritual Experience Questionnaire (DSES). These results suggest that a religious framing may not enhance well-being effects but may alter spiritual outcomes related to contemplative practices.

The central role of mindful parenting in child's emotional regulation and human flourishing: a blueprint perspective.

This article provides an innovative perspective of emotional-regulation and human flourishing which acknowledges the fundamental role of early parent-child experiences in shaping brain structure and functioning involved in emotional regulation and the central role of mindful parenting in facilitating emotional regulation in both parent and child (co-regulation). In this perspective paper the author underlines not only the central role of emotions and emotional regulation in human development and flourishing, but also the importance of maternal mental health, mindfulness, and a connected supportive community during pregnancy and postnatally in facilitating emotional regulation in both the caregiver and the infant and thus promoting secure attachment. The role of alloparenting and how we evolved to share childrearing is introduced, and emotional regulation is described not as an individual phenomenon but a relational embodied process. The associations between right brain functioning, mindfulness and secure attachment, all leading to emotional regulation, wellbeing, and resilience are described. Sharing findings and perspectives offer an opportunity for insights and reflection upon what strategies could be created to promote relational emotional regulation and wellbeing in early life, thus human flourishing leading to a peaceful society.

Exploring determinants of flourishing: a comprehensive network analysis of retirees in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Human flourishing is an emerging concept, extending beyond the conventional boundaries of subjective well-being and evolving into a comprehensive capture of the diverse dimensions of human life within complex societal structures. Therefore, moving away from traditional approaches centered on the single latent construct, this study aims to explore the multiple aspects of human flourishing and the intricate interplay of their contributing factors. METHODS: Data were collected from the Health and Living Environments Survey of Taiwanese Retirees during 2023 (valid sample n = 1,111). Human flourishing was measured using the Secure Flourish Index developed by Harvard University, which includes 12 indicators: (1) life satisfaction, (2) happiness, (3) mental health, (4) physical health, (5) meaning in life, (6) sense of purpose, (7) promoting good, (8) delaying gratification, (9) content relationships, (10) satisfying relationships, (11) financial stability, and (12) material stability. A mixed graphical network analysis was employed to analyze the related determinants, divided into four groups: (a) sociodemographic factors, (b) physical functions and health status, (c) social and family engagement, and (d) community environmental characteristics as nodes. RESULTS: We analyzed 31 variables and identified 133 nonzero edges out of 465 potential connections in the comprehensive network. Results showed that happiness and promoting good were the two most critical indicators influencing retirees' overall flourishing. Different flourishing indicators were also associated with various influential factors. For instance, personal characteristics, especially gender and education, emerged as central factors. Family caregiving negatively affected happiness and financial stability, whereas social engagement was positively associated with life satisfaction and meaning in life. Employment status had mixed effects, negatively associated with life satisfaction but positively associated with mental health. Community environments, such as a sense of community and neighborhood safety, generally enhanced flourishing. However, the accessibility of neighborhood resources was paradoxically associated with material stability, pointing to the complexity of environmental factors in human flourishing. CONCLUSION: This study provides a comprehensive network analysis that reveals intricate connections between personal, behavioral, and environmental factors, offering profound insights for targeted interventions to foster human flourishing.

The irrationality of human confidence that an ageless existence would be better.

Transhumanists and their fellow travelers urge humanity to prioritize the development of biotechnologies that would eliminate aging, delivering 'an endless summer of literally perpetual youth.' Aspiring not to age instantiates what philosopher Martha Nussbaum calls the yearning for 'external transcendence,' or the fundamental surpassing of human bounds due to confidence that life without them would be better. Based on Immanuel Kant's account of the parameters of human understanding, I argue that engineering agelessness could not be a rational priority for humanity on the level of public policy. This stance is complemented by an argument focused on individual decision-making in liberal-democratic milieus, where no governing conception of the good is presumed and the first-personal level matters greatly. Here, drawing on philosopher and cognitive scientist Laurie Ann Paul's concept of 'transformative experience,' I maintain that individuals could not 'rationally,' meaning, here, 'prudentially,' say 'yes' to agelessness. Absorbing the irrationality of human zeal to eliminate aging, based on assurance that an ageless existence would be better, should spur a redoubled dedication to human flourishing.

A critical narrative questioning the assessment of physical literacy: foster authentic human flourishing across the life course.

The study provides a summary, reflection, and clarification on the existing literature amid the recent rise in physical literacy assessment through a critical narrative that will contribute to future developments. In this review, the author addressed the significance of acknowledging the ultimate goal of assessing physical literacy throughout the life course is to foster authentic human flourishing. The study questioned the assessment practice in detail by discussing whether it is to translate and validate or to establish locally and to quantify or to specify qualitatively. The current tendency of a comprehensive dimension but not an inclusive journey was found. Subject to limitation, the merits of this study still stand and, moreover, further point to valuable areas for further inquiry that may refine and foster physical literacy and authentic human flourishing across the life course. And based on the arguments, future direction and recommendations when conducting assessment were discussed.

The ecology of human flourishing embodying the changes we want to see in the world.

Flourishing is the highest good of all persons, but hard to achieve in complex societal systems. This challenge is borne out through the lens of the global nursing shortages with its focus on the supply of nurses to meet health system demands. However, nurses and midwives spend a significant part of their lives at work and so the need to pay attention to the conditions that facilitate flourishing at work is important. Drawing on ancient and contemporary philosophies, as well as critical, creative and embodied ways of knowing, enabling a flourishing practice ecosystem will be explored in this paper.

Volitional mental absorption in meditation: Toward a scientific understanding of advanced concentrative absorption meditation and the case of jhana.

Meditation has been integral to human culture for millennia, deeply rooted in various spiritual and contemplative traditions. While the field of contemplative science has made significant steps toward understanding the effects of meditation on health and well-being, there has been little study of advanced meditative states, including those achieved through intense concentration and absorption. We refer to these types of states as advanced concentrative absorption meditation (ACAM), characterized by absorption with the meditation object leading to states of heightened attention, clarity, energy, effortlessness, and bliss. This review focuses on a type of ACAM known as jhana (ACAM-J) due to its well-documented history, systematic practice approach, recurring phenomenological themes, and growing popularity among contemplative scientists and more generally in media and society. ACAM-J encompasses eight layers of deep concentration, awareness, and internal experiences. Here, we describe the phenomenology of ACAM-J and present evidence from phenomenological and neuroscientific studies that highlight their potential applications in contemplative practices, psychological sciences, and therapeutics. We additionally propose theoretical ACAM-J frameworks grounded in current cognitive neuroscientific understanding of meditation and ancient contemplative traditions. We aim to stimulate further research on ACAM more broadly, encompassing advanced meditation including meditative development and meditative endpoints. Studying advanced meditation including ACAM, and specific practices such as ACAM-J, can potentially revolutionize our understanding of consciousness and applications for mental health.

Prospective associations of multidimensional well-being with work distraction and job satisfaction: a two-wave study of US employees.

Previous studies on the associations between well-being and work outcomes, such as work distraction and job satisfaction, have largely been cross-sectional and typically focused on only one or two aspects of well-being. Using two waves of data from a sample of employees at a United States health insurance company (n = 1,234), the present brief research report examines prospective associations between six domains of well-being (emotional health, physical health, meaning & purpose, character strengths, social connectedness, and financial security) and two work outcomes (work distraction and job satisfaction). Lagged regression analyses provided some evidence indicating that higher-level well-being in several domains was associated with subsequent reduced work distraction and increased job satisfaction assessed approximately 1 year later, but the magnitude of associations with each outcome did vary by specific domain. Emotional health and social connectedness were most strongly associated with work distraction and job satisfaction. We discuss some implications of the findings, including the importance of applying a multidimensional approach to studying employee well-being and potential opportunities for organizations to support the well-being of their employees.

A Path Forward-and Outward: Repositioning Bioethics to Face Future Challenges.

This essay explores what the future may hold for bioethics if it continues its evolution toward a field that embraces systemic, collective-level challenges; has a global scale and focus; emphasizes human flourishing; and seeks to have increased societal impact. As The Hastings Center considers strategic priorities for its research, public engagement, and impact, this essay reflects on where we have been and where we are going. It offers an expansive and inclusive vision for the future of bioethics, in order to invite an open and wide-ranging conversation about the future of our field and the role that The Hastings Center can and should play within it.

Transition from Paediatric to adult health services: Aspirations and practices of human flourishing.

BACKGROUND: Transition from paediatric to adult care is challenging for youths with a chronic condition. Most transition programmes place high value in autonomy and independence. We undertook a qualitative study to: (1) identify the needs and aspirations of youths and (2) better understand the well-being and flourishing of youths. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with youths, parents of youths and healthcare professionals recruited from four clinics. Thematic analysis focused on: (1) perceptions of transition; (2) key aspects of human flourishing during transition; and (3) salient concerns with respect to the transition and dimensions of human flourishing. RESULTS: 54 interviews were conducted. Perceptions of transition clustered around: (1) apprehension about adult care; (2) lack of clarity about the transition process; (3) emotional attachment to paediatric healthcare professionals; (4) the significance of the coinciding transition into adulthood. Fourteen salient concerns (e.g., Knowledge and information about the transition, Parental involvement in healthcare) were identified with corresponding recommendations. Salient concerns related to important dimensions of human flourishing (e.g., environmental mastery, autonomy). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The flourishing of youths is affected by suboptimal transition practices. We discuss the implications of our findings for environmental mastery, contextual autonomy, and the holistic and humanistic aspects of transition.

The Impact of Socially Assistive Robots on Human Flourishing in the Context of Dementia: A Scoping Review.

Socially assistive robots are being developed and tested to support social interactions and assist with healthcare needs, including in the context of dementia. These technologies bring their share of situations where moral values and principles can be profoundly questioned. Several aspects of these robots affect human relationships and social behavior, i.e., fundamental aspects of human existence and human flourishing. However, the impact of socially assistive robots on human flourishing is not yet well understood in the current state of the literature. We undertook a scoping review to study the literature on human flourishing as it relates to health uses of socially assistive robots. Searches were conducted between March and July 2021 on the following databases: Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed and PsycINFO. Twenty-eight articles were found and analyzed. Results show that no formal evaluation of the impact of socially assistive robots on human flourishing in the context of dementia in any of the articles retained for the literature review although several articles touched on at least one dimension of human flourishing and other related concepts. We submit that participatory methods to evaluate the impact of socially assistive robots on human flourishing could open research to other values at stake, particularly those prioritized by people with dementia which we have less evidence about. Such participatory approaches to human flourishing are congruent with empowerment theory.

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

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.

"Spiritual Readiness" in the U.S. Military: A Neglected Component of Warrior Readiness.

Recent events have led to concerns about whether U.S. service members are "ready" to engage in combat operations. With most discussions now focused on military readiness, attention paid to warfighter readiness may have fallen behind. Service members typically receive extensive training in the tactical, physical, mental, social, and behavioral aspects of readiness, while the spiritual aspects are often ignored. This review examines (1) recent concerns over warfighter readiness, (2) mental health problems that are common among members of the U.S. military, (3) definitions and determinants of "spiritual readiness" (SR), (4) the impact of SR on human flourishing (HF) and warfighter readiness, (5) research on the effects of religious/spiritual involvement on HF, and (6) those responsible for building and sustaining SR in the military. An extensive body of research over the past 30 years has documented the impact of religious/spiritual (R/S) involvement on many aspects of human flourishing, thereby affecting the warfighter's readiness to perform duties at the highest level. Military chaplains, mental health professionals, and medical providers all play important roles in building and sustaining the spiritual readiness of those in the U.S. military, thereby ensuring that these individuals perform in a way that maximizes their success during combat operations.

Promoting Equity in Health Care through Human Flourishing, Justice, and Solidarity.

In this article, we develop a non-rights-based argument based on beneficence (i.e., the welfare of individuals and communities) and justice as the disposition to act justly to promote equity in health care resource allocation. To this end, we structured our analysis according to the following main sections. The first section examines the work of Amartya Sen and his equality of capabilities approach and outlines a framework of health care as a fundamental human need. In the subsequent section, we provide a definition of health equity based on the moral imperative to guarantee that every individual ought to have the freedom to pursue health goals and well-being. In the later part of the article, we outline a non-right approach to health care based on three pillars: (1) human flourishing, (2) justice as a disposition not a process, and (3) solidarity.

How to evaluate the quality of an ethical deliberation? A pragmatist proposal for evaluation criteria and collaborative research.

Ethics designates a structured process by which important human values and meanings of life are understood and tackled. Therein, the ability to discuss openly and reflect on (aka deliberation) understandings of moral problems, on solutions to these problems, and to explore what a meaningful resolution could amount to is highly valued. However, the indicators of what constitutes a high-quality ethical deliberation remain vague and unclear. This article proposes and develops a pragmatist approach to evaluate the quality of deliberation. Deliberation features three important moments: (1) broadening and deepening the understanding of the situation, (2) envisioning action scenarios, (3) coming to a judgment based on the comparative evaluation of scenarios. In this paper, we propose seven criteria to evaluate ethical deliberations: (1) collaborative diversity, (2) experiential literacy, (3) organization of experiences, (4) reflective capacity to instrumentalize the experiences of others, (5) interactional creativity, (6) openness of agents, (7) quality of the reformulation of scenarios. These criteria are explained and applied to the three moments of deliberation. Based on these criteria, three kinds of outcomes for deliberations are identified and discussed: good ethical deliberations, partial ethical deliberations, bad ethical deliberations. Our proposal will guide researchers and practitioners interested in the evaluation of the quality of ethical deliberations. It provides a reference tool that allows them to identify the possible limitations of a deliberation and to implement actions aimed at correcting these limitations in order to achieve the desired qualitative objectives.

The Fertility of a Concept: A Bibliometric Review of Human Flourishing.

Human flourishing is a thriving concept, whose use has greatly increased among academic researchers from a variety of fields, from the arts and humanities and psychology to the social and environmental sciences and economics. To better understand the concept's success, this work proposes a bibliometric review, in which statistical methods and data mining were used to analyze 1829 documents, chosen from the Scopus database by searching the term "human flourishing". Through cluster and network analyses, the study shows the concept's evolution and composition, as well as its current tensions and trends, in which the predominantly psychological approach is being compensated with social concerns and the search for justice. Furthermore, the concept's strong philosophical roots provide it with abstract richness and great fertility, which can be seen in keywords, such as virtue or eudaimonia. This bibliometric review proved to be useful for this type of study, despite the limitations imposed by the characteristics of the Scopus database itself.

Global Trends of Mean and Inequality in Multidimensional Wellbeing: Analysis of 1.2 Million Individuals From 162 Countries, 2009-2019.

INTRODUCTION: Human flourishing is a multidimensional concept characterized by a state of complete wellbeing. However, much of the prior research on wellbeing has principally focused on population averages assessed using a single item of wellbeing. This study examined trends in population averages and inequalities for a multidimensional index of wellbeing and compared emergent patterns with those found for Cantril's ladder, a measure of life satisfaction commonly used as a unidimensional index of wellbeing. METHODS: Data were from the Gallup World Poll from the years 2009 to 2019, a repeated cross-sectional survey of nationally representative samples comprising ~1.2 million individuals from 162 countries. We assessed five domains of flourishing: (1) happiness, (2) health, (3) purpose, (4) character, and (5) social relationships. We used the Gini Index to estimate inequalities in wellbeing within populations. We examined and compared country ranking, global and region-specific trajectories of mean and inequality, and relationships with age for flourishing and Cantril's ladder. RESULTS: Although all trends were highly correlated across the two metrics of wellbeing, we identified distinct patterns in flourishing concerning geography, time, and age relationships that were not observed for Cantril's ladder. Temporal trends and age relationships were different across domains of flourishing. Evidence of changing inequalities in wellbeing was also found, even when population averages were high or stable over time. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive measures of wellbeing are needed to capture the complex and changing patterns of wellbeing both within and across populations.

The Trilogy of Health Care: Caring and Healing of the Clinician.

Today, more than we are aware of in the history of health services in the United States, is the critical need to reclaim and apply the core values and principles that inspired physicians and nurses to respond to their original call become consolers and healers of the sick and those in distress, and to refocus our attention on the person of the healer. In clinical practice today, we are endowed with enormously effective interventions that were unimaginable only a few decades earlier. In light of the fund of knowledge, clinical competencies, and technological advancements that we bring to bear in our experience in caring for our patients, the learning curve is never flat, never complete, and never static. Newer, safer, and more effective interventions in the cure of illnesses, management to relieve stress, moderate fear of surgery, and to promote healing that often lead to early discharge and return to normal activities of daily living are readily available in clinical practice. Yet, there are looming threats that compromise the person of clinician, for example, dehumanization, consumerism, commodification, and fungeability of the human person. This article will describe the Trilogy of Health Care: Caring and Healing of the Clinician and its application to the care and healing of physicians and nurses as they accompany one another in caring for a world in need of healing and hope.

Reimagining Person-Centred Care-In the Public Square.

In 2010, I began making monthly hospital visits to receive infusions of Tysabri, a drug designed to slow the progression of MS. Since that time, I have had many different experiences of Person-centered care in the public health system. As a patient I expect high-quality care that is safe and valuable in my treatment plan, however, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care goes so far as to describe Person-centered care as being an ideal experience for patients, their carers, and family. The focus of this respectful and responsive care is the preferences, needs, and values of individual patients. Since March 2020, I have been acutely aware of how a global pandemic shapes the experience of being in a hospital. As I attended my treatment in August 2021, news that our current lockdown was being extended to include a curfew, instigated a shift in the virtual boundaries I rely upon in the ward in my experience of Person-centered care and the hospital was briefly hybridized, becoming a virtual public square. I was called upon to see and care for others, rather than prioritize my own needs. In the following days, I made art to make sense of the experience and reimagine my expectations of Patient-centered care during a global pandemic. This paper employs image making in a Practice-led inquiry to consider the reciprocal nature of Person-centered care and addresses some of the implications for this kind of care from a patient's perspective.