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Life satisfaction correlated best with overall flourishing

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Research area:psychology-neuroscience

What the study found

The study found that life satisfaction was the best performing of the three evaluative subjective wellbeing measures in its correlations with overall flourishing. It also found that all 15 childhood and demographic factors were significantly associated with all three measures, though patterns differed across countries.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors conclude that the findings advance understanding of evaluative subjective wellbeing, including which concepts best represent it, how relevant factors relate to it, and how these patterns vary across countries. They suggest the results show that general trends are not universal but depend on local socio-cultural dynamics.

What the researchers tested

The researchers used data from the Global Flourishing Study. They examined three constructs related to evaluative subjective wellbeing: Cantril’s ladder, life satisfaction, and happiness, and tested their associations with 15 childhood and demographic factors in 202,898 participants from 22 countries.

What worked and what didn't

Life satisfaction showed the strongest correlation with overall flourishing among the three measures. All factors were significantly associated with all three constructs, with the largest variation among demographic factors seen for employment status and among childhood factors for self-reported health.

What to keep in mind

The abstract does not provide detailed study limitations beyond noting that patterns varied substantially across countries. It also notes that happiness is “perhaps more ambiguously” an evaluative subjective wellbeing construct.

Key points

  • Life satisfaction was the strongest of the three subjective wellbeing measures in relation to overall flourishing.
  • Cantril’s ladder, life satisfaction, and happiness were all associated with 15 childhood and demographic factors.
  • The largest variation among demographic factors was for employment status.
  • The largest variation among childhood factors was for self-reported health.
  • Associations differed substantially across the 22 countries studied.

Disclosure

Research title:
Life satisfaction correlated best with overall flourishing
Authors:
Tim Lomas, Hayami K. Koga, R. Noah Padgett, James O. Pawelski, Eric S. Kim, Christos Makridis, Craig Gundersen, Matt Bradshaw, Noémie Le Pertel, Koichiro Shiba, Chris Felton, John F. Helliwell, Byron R. Johnson, Tyler J. VanderWeele
Institutions:
Arizona State University, Baylor University, Baylor University, Baylor University, Baylor University, Boston University, Harvard University, Harvard University, Harvard University, Harvard University Press, Harvard University Press, Harvard University Press, Harvard University Press, Harvard University Press, Harvard University Press, University of British Columbia, University of British Columbia, University of Nicosia, University of Pennsylvania
Publication date:
2026-02-10
DOI:
10.1038/s41598-026-35777-y
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: This post was generated by gpt-5.4-mini (OpenAI). The original authors did not write or review this post.

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