Latest news with #BrendanCase
New York Post
01-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- New York Post
US beaten by neighboring country in new ‘flourishing' ranking — here's why we're lagging
Money can't buy happiness — and these countries prove it. The first-ever Global Flourishing Study has determined the countries where people 'flourish' the most. Expands beyond the annual World Happiness Report — which often highlights the high quality of life in Nordic nations — the new research digs deeper into all areas of people's lives beyond ranking how satisfied they are with their lives. Advertisement 6 People living in Indonesia are flourishing the most, according to the first-ever Global Flourishing Study. tawatchai1990 – Researchers from Harvard University surveyed more than 200,000 people from 22 countries spanning the six populated continents — representing 64% of the world's population. Indonesia topped the list, followed by Israel, the Philippines, Mexico and Poland, according to findings that were published in the journal Nature Mental Health. Advertisement Next, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania and Argentina rounded out the top ten. And despite being one of the wealthiest countries on the list, the US came in at a humbling No. 12, right behind Hong Kong, while the UK was found at a paltry No. 20. 6 Israel was second on the list of most flourishing countries. Picturellarious – Researchers defined flourishing as 'a state in which all aspects of a person's life are good,' meaning that 'a well-lived life is more than just health and happiness.' Advertisement The researchers added additional facets to determine a well-lived life, including happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close social relationships, and financial and material stability. Indonesia is not a rich country, but it ranked highly in measures of relationships and pro-social character traits, which foster social connections and community. 6 In contrast, Japan was listed as the place where people flourish the least. AFP via Getty Images On the opposite end of the scale, Japan was listed as the place where people flourish the least. Despite being a wealthy country where citizens tend to live well into old age, people in Japan are least likely to have a close friend. Advertisement 'We're not here to say those outcomes [wealth, longer lifespans] don't matter a lot, or that we shouldn't care about democracy, we shouldn't care about economic growth, we shouldn't care about public health,' Brendan Case, a study author, said, according to the Daily Mail. 'But it's interesting to consider that the Global Flourishing Study raises some important questions about the potential tradeoffs involved in that process.' 6 Although it is a wealthy country where citizens tend to live well into old age, people in Japan are least likely to have a close friend. WavebreakMediaMicro – The team recognized three key findings regarding age, mental health and connection to community — all of which were crucial factors in the US' ranking. For one, the connection between age and flourishing varies across countries. It has long been believed that life satisfaction is typically higher in early adulthood, dips in middle age and rises again in old age. 6 The team recognized three key findings regarding age, mental health and connection to the community — all of which showed drastically in the US. aLListar/ – Advertisement However, this was not found to be true with flourishing — most obviously in the US and other high-income countries. In America, the flourishing factor rose steadily with age. Mental health was also found to be a key factor. Physical health tends to stay the same with age, but poor mental health holds young people back — again, especially in the US. Researchers also found that participating in weekly group activities — in particular, church — generally boosted people's ability to flourish. The only high-income countries in the top half of the list were Israel and Poland. The majority of those in developed countries reported less meaning, fewer and less satisfying relationships and communities, and fewer positive emotions than those in less developed locales. Advertisement In contrast, the people in countries that flourished may not have high incomes but have good friendships, marriages and community involvement — especially in religious communities. 6 The people in countries that 'flourished' may not have high incomes but have good friendships, marriages and community involvement — especially in religious communities. charmedlightph – 'We need to figure out how to foster economic development without compromising meaning, purpose and relationships,' the authors of the study wrote in the New York Times. They claimed their 'work offers an opportunity to reflect on the ways in which much of the developed world may have gone astray and to explore the paths that might lead us back to happier lives.'
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
The countries where people 'flourish' the most, revealed: Indonesia and Israel top the list…while Britain is almost at the bottom of the rankings
A new study has revealed the countries where people 'flourish' the most – and it's bad news for Brits. Scientists from Harvard University surveyed more than 200,000 people from 22 countries about their health, happiness, meaning, character, relationships, financial security, and spiritual well-being. Together, these seven variables were defined as 'flourishing' by the researchers. The results revealed that people living in Indonesia are flourishing the most, followed by Israel, the Philippines, and Mexico. In contrast, the US ranked 12th on the list, while the UK ranked a dismal 20th out of 22. According to the researchers, the findings highlight the old adage that money isn't everything. 'Flourishing is multidimensional, and different countries are flourishing in different ways,' the team wrote in their study. 'While many developed nations report comparatively higher levels of financial security and life evaluation, these same nations are not flourishing in other ways, often reporting lower meaning, pro-sociality and relationship quality.' Several previous studies have set out to understand the happiest countries around the world - with Finland usually taking the top spot. However, until now, there has been little research into how people are flourishing. Writing in their study, published in Nature Mental Health, the team, led by Tyler VanderWeele, explained: 'The study is intended to expand our knowledge of the distribution and determinants of flourishing around the world.' The team enrolled 203,000 people in 22 countries spanning all six populated continents. According to the experts, this represents about 64 per cent of the world's population. The participants were surveyed across the seven variables, as well as demographic data such as age, sex, marital and employment status, education, health, religion, and personal history. The results revealed that Indonesia topped the list, with a flourish score of 8.3. This was followed by Israel (7.87), the Phillipines (7.71), Mexico (7.64), and Poland (7.55). While Indonesia is not the wealthiest country, it ranked highly in measures of relationships and pro-social character traits, which foster social connections and community. At the other end of the scale, Japan was found to be the country where people flourish the least, with a dismal score of 5.89. This was followed by Turkey (6.32), the UK (6.79), India (6.87) and Spain (6.9). Japan is wealthier and its people live longer, however respondents there were the least likely to answer 'yes' to a question asking whether they had an intimate friend. Brendan Case, associate director for research at the Human Flourishing Program and an author of the study, explained: 'We're not here to say those outcomes [wealth, longer lifespans] don't matter a lot, or that we shouldn't care about democracy, we shouldn't care about economic growth, we shouldn't care about public health. 'But it's interesting to consider that the Global Flourishing Study raises some important questions about the potential tradeoffs involved in that process.' The results also uncovered a link between age and flourishing - with older participants scoring more highly than younger respondents. 'On average, when pooled across the 22 countries, flourishing is essentially flat with age through ages 18–49 and then increases with age thereafter,' the researchers explained. 'This is in striking contrast to earlier work—focused mostly on life satisfaction/evaluation—which had suggested a more dramatically U-shaped pattern with age.' The findings raise important questions for the future progress of society, according to the researchers. 'Are we sufficiently investing in the future given the notable flourishing-age gradient with the youngest groups often faring the most poorly?' they asked. 'Can we carry out economic development in ways that do not compromise meaning and purpose and relationships and character, given that many economically developed nations are not faring as well on these measures? 'With economic development and secularization, have we sometimes been neglecting, or even suppressing, powerful spiritual pathways to flourishing? 'If society is to ultimately flourish these questions of age, and of development, and of spiritual dynamics need to be taken into consideration.' BEING GENEROUS 'REALLY DOES MAKE YOU HAPPY', STUDY FINDS Being generous really does make people happier, according to research in 2017 from an international team of experts. Neurons in an area of the brain associated with generosity activate neurons in the ventral striatum, which are associated with happiness, the study found. A group of 50 volunteers in Switzerland took part in a spending experiment, with each given 25 Swiss Francs (£20/$25) per week for four weeks. As part of the experiment, participants performed an independent decision-making task, in which they could behave more or less generously while brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). They were asked to choose to give between three and 25 francs of their money as a present to a recipient different from those previously chosen. The researchers found that participants who had committed to spending their endowment on others behaved more generously in the decision-making task. They also discovered greater self-reported increases in happiness as compared to the control group.
