Advancing Graduate Flourishing: Grad Resources Partners with the Global Flourishing Study

We’re excited to announce that Grad Resources is now an official research partner in the Global Flourishing Study, a landmark longitudinal initiative led by the Harvard University Human Flourishing Program in collaboration with Unite, Baylor University, Gallup, and the Center for Open Science.

This collaboration shines a light on Graduate Student well-being data and joins our community with one of the most ambitious research projects on human flourishing ever undertaken.

Understanding the Foundations of Human Flourishing

The Global Flourishing Study builds on years of research asking a foundational question:
Can human flourishing be clearly defined, measured, and supported over time?

Early work from researchers connected to the Harvard Human Flourishing Program in 2016 demonstrated that flourishing is not abstract or purely subjective. Instead, it is multidimensional and measurable, shaped by 5 Domains of Flourishing consistently influencing human well-being:

5 Domains of Flourishing

• Happiness and life satisfaction
• Physical and mental health
• Meaning and purpose
• Character and virtue
• Close social relationships

Together, these domains offer a more complete understanding of what it means not simply to succeed, but to live well, and to be well. At Grad Resources, we call this flourishing.

Pathways That Help People Flourish

Beyond identifying the domains of flourishing, researchers also examined how flourishing is cultivated over time. This work highlighted the powerful role that institutions and communities play in shaping long-term well-being. 4 Pathways to Flourishing consistently emerged:

4 Pathways to Flourishing

• Family
• Work
• Education
• Religious Community

These pathways function together, shaping identity, resilience, and purpose across the lifespan. This insight closely aligns with what Grad Resources has observed for decades: Graduate Students flourish when multiple dimensions of life are supported simultaneously, not in isolation. 

From Foundational Research to a Global Study

With strong evidence that flourishing could be identified within specific communities, researchers asked a broader question:
Do these same domains and pathways hold true across cultures and countries worldwide?

This question gave rise to the Global Flourishing Study, a five-year, longitudinal research initiative involving more than 200,000 participants across 22 countries and six continents, led by Harvard University in collaboration with global research partners.

Early findings suggest that while cultural expression varies, the core components of flourishing remain remarkably consistent across the world—opening the door to identifying practical, evidence-based actions that help communities flourish. This is an excellent addition to Grad Resources portfolio of research, shedding light on the needs of Graduate Students and exploring ways to help them flourish.

Why Graduate Students Matter in This Research

As the Global Flourishing Study moves from identifying the components of flourishing to applying research insights in practical ways, it is very important to focus on the specific group represented. In the case of the data collected for Grad Resources, we are specifically looking at Grad school populations.

Graduate Students and their families sit at a unique intersection of education, vocation, faith, and leadership formation. This season of life is often marked by intense pressure, transition, and long-term decision-making—yet Graduate Students are frequently underrepresented in large-scale well-being research. Grad Resources and our partners are specifically working to fill that gap in the research.

As a research partner, Grad Resources contributes insights from Graduate Student communities to help ensure that global findings remain grounded in real lived experience. By participating in this research, Graduate Students help researchers better understand how flourishing is shaped during one of life’s most formative seasons—and how communities, institutions, and support systems can respond more effectively.

Take this Short Survey to Participate

We invite you to scan the QR code below to participate alongside Grad Resources in the Global Flourishing Study. By sharing your experience, you are helping advance research that identifies practical, evidence-based pathways to flourishing—for Graduate Students, families, and communities around the world.

👉 Scan the QR code to participate in the Global Flourishing Study 

Learning More

📌 To explore the research initiative in more depth, visit the Harvard Human Flourishing Program’s Global Flourishing Study page. https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/

🎥 Watch this video introduction to the Human Flourishing Program and its mission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaVNfWfD40&utm_source=chatgpt.com