American researchers have launched a vast survey on “human flourishing”, questioning more than 200,000 people in 22 countries spread over six continents, including Tanzania, the Philippines, Brazil, Germany and the United States, but not France.
Each year, for five years, participants are invited to answer around a hundred questions to assess their development in the areas of health, financial security and social relationships. But also on more subjective aspects such as their personality, their behavior in society or the feeling that their life has meaning and value.
The results of the first wave of the survey, carried out in 2022-2023, gave rise to 20 studies published in several Springer group journals (Nature, BMC, etc.).
They also brought some “big surprises”, underlined during a press conference one of the co-founders of the program, Tyler VanderWeele, epidemiologist and biostatistician at Harvard (United States).
Among the 22 countries studied, Indonesia obtains the best results, followed by Israel, the Philippines and Mexico. Japan is last and Sweden, generally ranked well in similar studies such as the UN’s annual happiness report, only comes in the middle of the table.
“Richer, more developed countries perform better on things like financial security or life satisfaction“, which is what the UN report focuses on, explains Mr. VanderWeele.
But they are “less good” on aspects linked to the meaning given to existence, social relations or altruistic behavior, he adds, noting a “negative relationship between GDP and the meaning given to existence”.
While comparisons between countries should be made with caution, for example due to cultural differences which can influence responses, “this pattern is particularly striking”. It “raises important questions” about the way “we conduct development and economic policies,” said Brendan Case, research director of the program at Harvard.
Youth well-being
Another lesson from the study, “worrying”, according to Mr. VanderWeele, is that “the youngest” report “the lowest degree of fulfillment”, particularly in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Most previous work on well-being and age suggested more of a U-shaped curve, with younger and older individuals reporting happier than middle-aged individuals, typically “faced with raising young children, caring for elderly parents and professional challenges“, recalls Mr. VanderWeele.
“But this is changing“, he says, citing as potential explanations the “mental health crisis” among young people, the role of social networks, fewer economic opportunities or the Covid-19 pandemic which has “particularly affected at a crucial time for link building“.
“If we truly want to promote flourishing within society, across generations and over time, we need to invest much more deeply in the well-being of young people.“, he believes.
Other results confirm those of previous studies, such as the fact that married or more educated people generally say they are more fulfilled. With notable exceptions, like in Tanzania or India where singles are happier. Or in Australia and Hong Kong where fulfillment decreases with the level of education.
Variations that scientists will analyze with researchers “working or originating” from each of the countries studied, to “understand the dynamics specific to each place” and learn from these differences, underlines Tim Lomas, psychology researcher at Harvard.