The Surprising Demographics of Inner Peace
Did you know that, on average, our sense of inner peace tends to increase as we get older?
The Global Flourishing Study: Study Profile and Initial Results on Flourishing
Globally, young adults are not flourishing as much as older adults, a shift from historical patterns where well-being typically dipped in middle age before rising again.
Positive childhood experiences, including good parental relationships, financial stability, and regular religious service attendance, are strongly linked to higher levels of flourishing in adulthood across many cultures.
Different countries excel in different aspects of well-being, with wealthier nations often reporting higher financial security but lower levels of meaning and social connection compared to some middle-income countries.
This research acts as a global report card on human well-being, helping us understand who is thriving and who is struggling. The finding that young people are faring more poorly than older generations is a critical warning sign for policymakers, educators, and parents, highlighting an urgent need to address youth mental health and the unique pressures they face.
“This global report card on well-being challenges us to build societies that support more than just economic prosperity.”
Furthermore, the study challenges the narrow idea that economic growth is the ultimate goal for a society. By showing that some economically developed nations have lower levels of meaning and social connection, it forces us to ask bigger questions. How can we build societies that support not just financial stability, but also strong relationships, a sense of purpose, and spiritual well-being? This foundational data provides a roadmap for creating policies and communities that help people lead truly flourishing lives, not just prosperous ones.
“This global report card on well-being challenges us to build societies that support more than just economic prosperity.”
What does it truly mean to live a good life? To find out, researchers launched one of the most ambitious studies on human well-being ever conducted. The Global Flourishing Study surveyed over 200,000 people across 22 diverse countries, asking them not just about happiness, but about their health, purpose, relationships, character, and financial stability.
“The famous U-shape of well-being has vanished, with young adults now struggling more than any other age group.”
This created a rich, multidimensional picture of what it means to 'flourish.' The initial findings are both reassuring and concerning. The study confirmed that our childhoods cast a long shadow: having a good relationship with our parents, feeling financially secure, and avoiding abuse as a child are all strongly linked to a better life as an adult. Strong social ties, like being married, and participating in a religious community were also powerful predictors of flourishing almost everywhere.
However, the study uncovered some surprising and troubling trends. Globally, well-being no longer follows the famous 'U-shape' where middle-age is the low point. Instead, flourishing now tends to be lowest among young adults and increases with age. This suggests that being young today is harder than it used to be. The study also revealed that countries don't flourish in the same way.
While wealthier nations may have more financial security, they often report lower levels of meaning and purpose than people in some middle-income countries. A good life, it seems, is about more than just a good economy.
Across 22 countries, 41% of adults reported attending religious services at least once a week when they were around 12 years old.
Adults who attend religious services more than once a week report flourishing scores that are, on average, 0.81 points higher on a 10-point scale than those who never attend.
The negative association between childhood abuse and adult flourishing is moderately robust, requiring a hypothetical unmeasured confounder to be associated 1.74 times with both factors to fully explain away the finding.
There is a 2.21-point gap on a 10-point scale between the country with the highest average flourishing score (Indonesia) and the country with the lowest (Japan).
VanderWeele, T. J., Johnson, B. R., Bialowolski, P. T., Bonhag, R., Bradshaw, M., Breedlove, T., Case, B., Chen, Y., Chen, Z. J., Counted, V., Cowden, R. G., de la Rosa, P. A., Felton, C., Fogleman, A., Gibson, C., Grigoropoulou, N., Gundersen, C., Jang, S. J., Johnson, K. A., et al. (2025). The Global Flourishing Study: Study Profile and Initial Results on Flourishing. Nature Mental Health, 3(6), 636–653. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00423-5
Did you know that, on average, our sense of inner peace tends to increase as we get older?
What if the secret to a hopeful future is hidden in your past?
What if the hope you feel today was planted decades ago in your childhood?
For Jewish adults in Israel, greater religious observance is consistently linked to better mental health—from less depression to more happiness.
People in some of the world's wealthiest nations report the worst mental health, while those in some lower-income countries report the best.
In Nigeria, 92% of people say they often or always forgive, while in Türkiye, the number is just 41%.