Flourish: a visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being

“From 2013 to 2016, there was a 33% increase in diagnoses of major depression among adults sampled in a study by Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance (Fox, 2018), and depression is roughly 10 times more common today than it was 50 years ago (Seligman, 2011).”

“Csikszentmihalyi’s (1975, 2002) flow theory is a process theory of happiness—flow is an optimal state which contributes to human flourishing and wellbeing (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975, 2002; Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2009; Seligman, 2011).”

“— The Be A YES Challenge is based on scientific findings from brain research and positive psychology (Seligman, 2012; Seliman, 2018; Fredrickson, 2009).”

“Furthermore, Aristotelian moral philosophers have argued that the habituation and internalization of moral virtues into one’s self is essential to achieve eudaimonic happiness, which is tied to meaningfulness (Kristjánsson, 2013; Seligman, 2011), as opposed to mere hedonistic happiness (Han, 2015; Kristjánsson, 2012).”

“Although the pathway of engagement is rarely defined with other variables (Brodie, Hollebeek, Juric, & Ilic, 2011), it refers to absorption and interest within the PERMA model (Kern, Waters, Adler & White, 2015; Seligman, 2011).”

“Development of the process theories of happiness eventually resulted in the emergence of positive psychology [53].”

“Further, older adults who are resilient tend to be genuinely happier—an essential element of overall positive well-being (Seligman, 2011).”

“Sample activities, summarized in Table 2, may include optimism-focused or health-related activities linked to better well-being (133).”

“Employees, who perceive to be supported by their supervisors, experience a sense of workplace flourishing as well as emotional, psychological, and social well-being (Keyes, 2013; Keyes & Annas, 2009; Seligman, 2011) .”

“Wellbeing is construed as a combination of positive emotions, engagement, meaningful relationships, and a sense of accomplishment [15–17], reflecting the positive aspects of mental health [18].”

“(1) Flourishing is defined as the appraisals individuals make regarding the quality of their lives as expressed in terms of multidimensional indicators (Keyes & Annas, 2009; Rothmann, 2013; Seligman, 2011).”

“…psychology, suggests that strong basic science can only emerge on the foundations of applied work, pointing to engineering and the predictions of eclipses as the antecedents of physics, and gunpowder and the alchemical search to create gold as the antecedents of chemistry (Seligman 2011:59–61).”

“private households were included in the study) Those in the lowest IQ range (70-99) reported the lowest levels of happiness compared with the highest IQ group”

“Both are long-standing efforts (almost 20 years) designed to promote students’ well-being through positive education (Seligman, 2011, pp. 81–84) and to better understand the processes that enhance well-being.”

“This study draws on social-cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986, 1997) and positive psychology (Masten, 2018; Seligman, 2011), which highlight the role of personal beliefs, self-regulation, and psychological strengths in navigating challenges and fostering well-being.”

“…and long-term skills (Caballero-García and Sánchez-Ruiz 2018, 2021, 2024; Caballero-García et al. 2019; Sánchez-Ruiz 2020), which would favor both academic success and the personal growth of students (Cobo-Rendón et al. 2020; Seligman 2011) and reduce the gap between university and the workplace.”

“This result aligns with the PERMA model introduced by Seligman (2011), which emphasizes the importance of positive emotions in fostering well-being and motivation.”

“And meaning, for Guardini, is ‘the essence of existence, of flourishing, ripening life’ (1998, p. 65), a view that resonates—in a secular context—with positive psychology books like Flow (Csík-szentmihályi, 1990) and Flourish (Seligman, 2011) and indeed the gamification literature at large.”

“Across four prominent models of flourishing (Diener et al., 2010; Huppert & So, 2013; Keyes, 2002; Seligman, 2011), Agenor et al. (2017) identified six common thematic components that include meaning and purpose, positive relationships, positive emotions, engagement, competence, and self-esteem.”

“This sense of meaningfulness has been connected to higher life satisfaction, positive relationships, and vitality (Baumeister et al., 2013; Khaw & Kern, 2014; Seligman, 2012).”

“Namun, ketika pendekatan negatif terbukti tidak efektif, pendekatan positif yang memprioritaskan kesejahteraan pegawai menjadi penting, seperti yang disarankan oleh penelitian Seligman (2011).”

“While the broadest life satisfaction refers to a global measure of satisfaction, the flourishing concept, in a positive psychology framework, is defined as an optimal state of functioning in which people pursue personal goals and aspirations [28].”

“By Seligman (2011) well-being is made up of five elements: positive emotion, engagement, meaning, relationships, and accomplishment.”

“Subsequently, Seligman (2011) added two domains—relationships and accomplishment—and proposed the current five domains of PERMA.”

“For example, Seligman (2012) introduced the PERMA model, which consists of positivity, engagement, relationship, meaning, and accomplishment.”

“In the 1960s, the average age of onset for depression was 29 years; however, Seligman (2012) suggests initial diagnosis rates of depression have fallen to 14.5 years.”

“In this psychological state, individuals may hardly notice the lapse of time, their self-consciousness may fade away, and their competence can maximize (Seligman, 2012; Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi, 2014).”

“…is the “self-righting capacity” individuals have that they use to adapt to new situations, even in “the face of trauma, adversity, and/or everyday stress,” which leads to increased perseverance (Truebridge, 2014, p. 12–13), and, generally speaking, “psychological fitness” (Seligman, 2011, p. 127).”

“EPOCH measure is designed to operationalize PERMA theory of well-being [5] for adolescents.”

“It was Seligman (2011) who devised the PERMA model l, which is a controversial concept, stands for Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning in life, and Accomplishment.”

“Recently, these conceptualizations have been expanded to focusing on psychological, social, and emotional aspects of wellbeing, such as meaning, relationship, and engagement (Keyes et al., 2008; Ryff & Keyes, 1995; Seligman, 2011).”

“The role of Positive emotion for wellbeing and flourishing has previously been explored [48] and in particular the role of wild animals in generating positive emotions and wellbeing [1,22,27].”

“While both indicators contribute individually to psychological health, it is their interaction that can lead people to flourish [30,31].”

“However, research has shown that more than half the world’s population suffers from poor SWB (Rashid and Seligman 2018; Seligman 2012) and that students do not have the necessary social 1 3 resources in place to effectively manage such (Oritz-Ospina and Roser 2020).”

“For Seligman (2011), a good life is seen as enjoyable, engaged, connected, meaningful and fulfilling.”

“In Seligman’s model of flourishing (Seligman, 2011, 2012) it is described by the PERMA abbreviation: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.”

“…ancient and modern accounts in theology (Augustine, 1948), humanism (Allport, 1961; Maslow, 1959), and positive psychology (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997; Seligman, 2011), and we can extend them by describing the complex architecture, psychobiology, and non-linear dynamics of the relevant human learning…”

““Flourishing” encompasses purpose in life, positive relationships, engagement, competence, self-esteem, optimism, and contribution toward the well-being of others (Diener et al., 2010; Seligman, 2012; Huppert and So, 2013).”

“…9 July 2018 KEYWORDS VIA model; character strengths; moral education; phronesis; factor analysis; flourishing; virtue; Aristotelian moral philosophy Helping students flourishing has been one of the most important goals in the fields of human development and education (Han, 2015a; Seligman, 2011).”

“The theory of signature strengths (Seligman, 2002, 2011) adds few more positive personality characteristics such as curiosity, judgment, fairness, self-control, spirituality, forgiveness, humor, and others, which form a part of our identity, are the individual’s strengths, and contribute to genuine…”

“Overall, peer support is a well-established pathway to reduce vulnerability to stress and depression by emphasizing strengths and coping resilience to overcome trauma and rebuild one’s life (Bandura, 1997; Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2006; Saleebey, 2006; Schwarzer, 1992; Seligman, 2011).”

“…positive functioning) (Ryff and Keyes 1995) perspectives in psychology, and it also concerns human interactions and social functioning in various environments, including workplace settings from an organisational psychology point of view (Hascher and Waber 2021; Seligman 2011; Song et al. 2023).”

“[17,18,29,36,38,39] [40‑42] Moreover, it promotes personality abilities, enthusiasm, and passion for life.”

“Aligning with the holistic concept of wellness, tourism scholars have been increasingly interested in the rise of positive psychology, which studies what makes life enjoyable and worth living (Seligman, 2012; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).”

“Well-being would therefore imply positive emotions, engagement in life, satisfying interpersonal relationships, and feelings of meaning and achievement (Seligman, 2011).”

“(1) Regarding flow and well-being, one of the main conditions for achieving flow is that challenges and skills balance at high levels (Csikszentmihalyi, 2003), and flow is regarded as a primary form of engagement, which is one of the five pillars of well-being in the PERMA model (Seligman, 2011).”

“Additionally, various surveys were consulted in constructing the assessment items, including “The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS)” (Tennant et al., 2007), “PERMA-profiler” (Butler and Kern, 2016), “Satisfaction with life Scale (SWLS-5)” (Diener et al., 1985; Pavot and Diener, 2009), “Harmony in Life…”

“Seligman (2012) has developed a multidimensional well-being model that carries the traces of both subjective well-being and psychological well-being in its content.”

“…the study of Australian early childhood educators, not to identify a ranking of needs, but rather to understand how the elements of well-being identified by participants in our study relate to existing constructs of human flourishing, defined as an optimal state of well-being (see Seligman, 2012).”

“Ryff’s (2019) overview of the six dimensions of eudaimonic well-being—autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance—also shows how each of them is relevant to entrepreneurship (cf. Blackburn & McGhee, 2007; Seligman, 2011).”

“Seligman (2012) likewise focused on the individual’s well-being as a key to flourishing, but also identified relationships as one of the key elements.”

“Research has shown that pleasure, meaning, and engagement each support the two dimensions of subjective wellbeing: cognitive and affective wellbeing [25,79].”

“This finding supports the general argument from positive psychologists that enhancing positive emotions plays a more crucial role, compared to handling negative emotions, in promoting happiness and life satisfaction (e.g., Seligman, 2011).”

“For the selected measures in this study, these included the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire [46], Psychological Capital [47], PERMA (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishments) [48], self-regulation [49], life satisfaction [50], and meaning and purpose [51].”

“In recent years, there has been much interest in well-being and its determinants (e.g., Huta, 2015; Seligman, 2011).”

“Assessment of well-being from a Western cultural framework typically involves an individually centered cognitive–affective evaluation that has been, and in some cases, still is purported to represent a universal basis for defining well-being (Diener, Oishi, & Lucas, 2015; Seligman, 2011).”

“Although some may counter that conceptions of the positive/negative dichotomy are evolving within the movement—the hedonic concept “happiness” has been eclipsed by the eudaimonic3 concept “flourishing” (Fredrickson, 2009; Seligman, 2011)4—positive psychologists’ conception of flourishing depends logically on positivit…”

“Seligman(2012).”

“More recently, theorists such as Keyes (2002) and Seligman (2011) have advocated for a “composite” © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group CONTACT Justine M. Gatt j.gatt@neura.edu.au Supplemental data for this article can be accessed…”

“It has been reported that individuals with high positive emotion experience less heart disease, and are approximately 18% less likely to die of any cause than people with average or low positive emotion [67].”

“Academic literature in this field stresses the cultivation of positive emotional states— happiness, joy, optimism, hope and so on—which are purported to enhance individual wellbeing (Sheldon, Kashdan, & Steger, 2011; Seligman, 2011).”

“…that positive interventions can increase well-being and reduce depressive symptoms (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Seligman et al., 2005; Seligman, 1992, 2002, 2011; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009), and that these changes can reach a critical mass or tipping point that leads to a positive…”

“Moreover, in the positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment model formulated by Seligman [77], engagement, defined as the ability to fully use one’s strengths and abilities, is seen as a core component of psychosocial well-being; therefore, game mechanics that support…”

“Psychological well-being encompasses multiple dimensions, such as meaning and purpose (Ryff, 1989; Ryff & Keyes, 1995; Seligman, 2011), supportive and rewarding relationships (Ryff, 1989; Ryff & Keyes, 1995; Deci & Ryan, 2000), competency (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Ryff, 1989; Ryff & Keyes, 1995),…”

“Accomplishment is a sense of achievement that can bring feelings of personal validation, motivation, and fulfilment (Seligman, 2011).”

“The scale has with a reliability of α = 0.86 (Seligman 2011, 2018; Žibrat 2022).”

“For the sake of the present discussion, we assume that an AI system is beneficial (i.e., aligned) whenever it contributes to human flourishing, encompassing physical health, individual happiness, and social well-being [52].”

“Indeed, ecological distress has been de fi ned as “ any forms of emotional, psychological, or existential distress related to present or anticipated ecological/ climatic change ” , which is synonymous to eco-anxiety (35, p.1).”

“However, this situation has changed since 1998 when Martin Seligman established work on Positive Psychology (38), which explicitly focuses on positive aspects of human life, such as mental health.”

“Eudaemonic well-being’s modern conceptualizations are influenced by Aristotle’s ideas of a virtuous, authentic, and balanced life (Adler & Seligman, 2016; Allport, 1961; Bradburn, 1969; Diener et al., 2018; Ryan & Deci, 2001; Ryff, 1989; Seligman, 2011; Steger, 2016).”

“A focus on the development of PYD competencies in schools (see Gomez and Ang, 2007) is also in alignment with the central tenets of positive psychology (Seligman, 2010), including the acquisition of habits that may lead to eudaimonia (Romer and Hansen, 2021).”

“Positive psychology research is used to develop interventions that can be utilized to prevent mental health problems [80].”