What does it mean to flourish? And how can societies help people achieve it?
Dr. Byron Johnson, Director of the Institute for Global Human Flourishing at Baylor University, explored the topic at the opening keynote lecture of Wheatley Institute's "Religion and Human Flourishing" conference.
Dr. Johnson focused his lecture on highlights from the Global Flourishing Study, of which he is a co-director. The study involves over 200,000 people on all six inhabited continents and has resulted in groundbreaking data on the links between faith, well-being, purpose, relationships, and pathways to thriving. The goal of the study, Johnson explained, was to get hard data on flourishing and make it available to both researchers and the public.
"It [flourishing] isn't all about GDP," he said. He noted that several countries with poor economic performance have ranked very highly in the flourishing study, while other countries with high economic performance have taken spots that are surprisingly low. Why? Flourishing comes down to several multifaceted domains, including life satisfaction, physical and mental health, close social relationships, purpose, and character. Balancing them all is key. "I think one of the things that we try to do is to say, how can we learn from others?" Johnson said. Several more countries have asked to join the study since seeing it's results. "We've entered this project not to say that we have figured out what it means to flourish," Dr. Johnson continued. "We haven't. We're learning... that's the beauty of the project."
Later in the meeting, Dr. Johnson was asked what tied religion to flourishing. Why do such a wide range of faiths, with different doctrines and lifestyles, generally lead to similar positive outcomes? "Houses of worship in general support meaning, purpose, character, and virtue," he explained, noting that they also act as a barrier against certain negative behaviors.
The rest of the "Religion and Human Flourishing" conference focused on similar themes. Speakers from across the country explored the state of religion in the United States, religion's connection to health, family flourishing among racial and religious minorities, and arguments suggesting that religion may not be as dead as some have claimed.
"We're so grateful for everyone who has made this conference possible," Dr. Paul Lambert said. Dr. Lambert is the Director of the Religion and Human Flourishing Initiative at Wheatley Institute, and served as the conference's moderator. "What a wonderful event."
Watch Dr. Johnson's full lecture here.
Full recordings of the rest of the conference will soon be available.