What does it mean to truly flourish — and how can students invest in their wellbeing in ways that actually work?
What makes a life go well? (didn’t we already work out it was chocolate?)
That’s the big question behind the Global Flourishing Study — a massive, ongoing research project that’s tracking over 200,000 people in 23 countries, including Australia. The first wave of results has just been released, offering a unique look at what it means to truly flourish — not just survive, but live well.
So, what is flourishing?
Flourishing is more than just being happy. It’s about doing well in multiple areas of life: your health, your relationships, your sense of purpose, your values, and your financial stability.
But flourishing isn’t a fixed state. It’s not something you “achieve” and then tick off the list. Instead, it’s something you build and maintain over time, through small daily actions and supportive environments. Sometimes it is about being happy. Sometimes it’s about growth. Other times – especially during tough periods – it might just be about holding steady, keeping key parts of your life in place to protect your wellbeing while you weather the storm.
Think of it like this: even in a hard week, if you’re still reaching out to friends, still going for a walk, still eating something nourishing – you’re continuing to make investments (even small) in your wellbeing – you are embracing a flourishing approach.
[Note: It’s also worth noting that applying constant pressure to “be flourishing” — to always be kicking goals, thriving, or nailing every aspect of life — can actually disrupt the flourishing process. High standards can be healthy when we approach them with flexibility and self-compassion. But when we hold those standards too tightly, they can slip into perfectionism, which often derails wellbeing rather than supporting it.]
What the global study found
The Global Flourishing Study paints a fascinating picture of how people are doing around the world — and what’s most connected to their wellbeing.
Some key findings:
-
Mental health is central. Strong mental health was a major predictor of flourishing, especially as people aged. In some countries, young people reported mental health as a major challenge and that has certainly been my sense, here in Australia.
-
Group participation helps. People who regularly engaged in group activities – whether religious or community – tended to report higher levels of life purpose and wellbeing.
-
Financial security matters. Those who felt financially secure consistently scored higher in flourishing, across all 23 countries.
-
Different things matter to different people. In some countries, life satisfaction was low but people had strong purpose. In others, mental health was the highlight. There’s no one-size-fits-all path.
This last point is interesting to me because, on a personal level, I’ve noticed that I’ve been able to still build a decent life, even though I wouldn’t frequently describe myself as happy.
Does this have any implications for being a student?
Flinders has a wonderfully diverse student body. Students come here from all over the world, and bring different expectations, needs, and ideas about what wellbeing means.
That diversity is a strength, but also a reminder that there’s no single blueprint for living well. It might mean that what is driving the student sitting next to you, might be different to what is driving you.
Each person’s flourishing journey will look different. And for those of us in wellbeing services, that means ensuring the topics we cover on a site like BetterU are varied. Mental health is my main area of expertise, but we need voices on here (or more broadly at the university) talking about physical health, meaning, purpose, character, virtue and relationships (this is a subtle way of inviting anyone with expertise to submit content).
This idea that there isn’t a perfect blueprint is freeing but also maybe a bit anxiety provoking. You can abandon the goal of chasing some kind of perfect state of being, but you now have the responsibility to find your path and nurture the habits and supports that help you along the way.
OK, that’s great, do you have any tangible, actionable advice?
If we take some of the standout findings from the study, here are a few strategies you can start using today:
Prioritise your mental health.
Try starting with the Big 5 or selecting something from University of California’s big catalogue. If that isn’t helping, consider seeking professional support.
Stay connected.
Join a club, attend an event, or start a study group. Regular group participation appears to be one of the strongest predictors of sustained wellbeing.
Build your financial confidence.
Managing your finances (or getting support to do so) can lower stress and improve your sense of stability — both key for flourishing.
Define flourishing on your own terms.
Ask yourself: What helps me feel grounded? What energises me? What relationships, routines, or activities give my life meaning?
If you’re curious about how the researchers measured flourishing, the questions they used are available below.
Reading them might help you reflect: Where am I flourishing? Where might I want to invest more?
