by What does it mean to live a good life? Psychologists and social scientists focused on a new idea called flourishing-a feeling of well-being that goes beyond just happiness or success. The point is that your whole life is good, including your interaction with other people and your community. So how do Africans leave when blooming?
Victor Counted is a psychological scientist whose research in 40 African countries offers a data rich rethinking of the flora on the continent. His findings emphasize the dominant story that Africa “remains” in development by showing a more differentiated picture of what it means to live a good life. We asked him more.
What is blooming?
Flours are more than economic growth or individual happiness. It is a multi -dimensional state of being that reflects how people feel in their lives and how well their life actually works. So it also measures the values of the people in their community.
The idea of well-being often places a Eurocentric focus on the individual person’s satisfaction, autonomy, performance. Flourish how quite a person is in relation to your surroundings.
It contains the social, spiritual and ecological contexts in which you live. So it’s not just about how you feel, but how you live – full, sensible and in a satisfactory relationship with the world around us.
What is the global flourishing study?
The global flourishing study tries to measure global patterns of human blooming. It is a continued five -year longitudinal study at over 200,000 participants in 22 countries.
I was one of the global team of scientists to examine the trends about what it means to live well across cultures and living conditions.
Read more: What makes people thrive? A new survey of more than 200,000 people in 22 countries is looking for global patterns and local differences
The study identifies six important dimensions of flourishing:
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Happiness and life satisfaction
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Intellectual and physical health
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Close social relationships
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Financial and material stability
The participants assess how they record further questions in each of these areas in a scale from 0 to 10. Further questions collect experience in connection with trust, loneliness, hope, resilience and other relatives well -being variables.
Of the 22 nations were five Africans: Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Egypt.
While these countries have not exceeded the global ranking (Indonesia and Mexico), Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt reported all relatively high, flourishing values, especially if well -being was considered in addition to the financial status.
For example, Nigeria took the 5th place in flowering scores worldwide that excluded financial indicators – before many wealthier nations. The Nigerians showed strengths in social relationships, characters and virtues (such as forgiveness or helping others). However, the potential growth areas included financial well -being, living space, ethnic discrimination and education.
Overall, this indicates that material resources are important, but not the only thing that determines well -being. Kenya took 7th place in Egypt, the 10th Tanzania and the 13th South Africa. Everyone showed unique strengths in areas such as meaning, social connection or mental health.
You carried out a separate study in Africa to bloom. What did you find?
In a 2024 study, we analyzed data from the Gallup World survey (2020–2022) to examine 38 indicators for well-being in 40 African countries.
This study offered a more detailed and more sensitive picture of how Africans have the flourishing experience and priority. The dimensions examined were derived from local and universal sources, which enabled regionally relevant knowledge.
We found that African population groups often achieve great importance, character and social relationships despite economic difficulties. This offers an important correction for western assumptions about well -being.
Some of our most important findings were:
● There is a significant variety between and within the African countries. Mauritius consistently landed in life volume (general satisfaction with their lives), while countries such as Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe achieved the lowest point.
● East African countries such as Rwanda and Ethiopia showed a strong performance in social well -being indicators (e.g.
● Countries in West Africa such as Senegal and Ghana achieved a high emotional well -being. Many people reported positive daily emotions such as enjoyment and laughing.
● Despite challenges such as income relief, the South African nations showed resilience through strong community bonds and cultural practices based on the philosophy of Ubuntu.
The results confirmed that flourishing in Africa can not only be reduced to the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (a measure of average economic output per person in one country) or to western norms of success.
What can the African countries concentrate on thriving?
In my opinion, the path to greater flourishing lies in the introduction of local knowledge and in the investment in culturally relevant development priorities. Instead of following western paths that concentrate on individual progress – Africa can model alternative flourishing paths that reflect what is most important for the African people.
1. Prioritize local knowledge systems
African ideas about a networked society – how Ubuntu (South Africa), Ujamaa (East Africa), Teranga or Wazobia (West Africa) and Al-Musawat Wal Tarahum (North Africa) they teach people to take care of each other and live in peace. These values help people live a meaningful life and can influence leadership and legislation.
2. Define development metrics new
Western development models focus on individual performance, economic output and material consumption. The per capita bip cannot hold onto the everyday realities and efforts of African communities. We should also measure things like happy how happy they are, how hopeful they are for the future, how strong and resilient their communities are and how clean, safe and dignified are their living environment.
This is not a new idea – for years, development scientists have demanded a departure from close economic indicators in the direction of the focus on human dignity, agency and the actual opportunities to pursue people for the life of their value. New is the growing availability of data and the dynamics to take these alternative metrics seriously in the design of the national guidelines and priorities.
3 .. Invest in education for character development
Quality formation is important to open up the continent to thrive. However, Africa needs more than just academic skills and willingness to read the workforce – a strategy is needed for the deliberate development of values and habits that influence the thinking, feeling and action values and actions with integrity.
Part of the problem lies in the way the humanities – areas such as history, literature, philosophy and religious studies – are often undervalued or underfunded in education systems. It is precisely these disciplines that promote moral imagination, critical reflection and bourgeois responsibility. We need educational models that not only form workers, but also whole people – people who think ethically, act responsibly and lead them with character in their communities.
Read more: What makes a person appear clever? The global study shows that cultures differ – but not as much as they would think
What does Africa offer in the world in terms of blooming?
Africa is not waiting to be saved. On the continent, people for care communities build the joy of need and give values of unity, faith and compassion. This is how the development looks when it is rooted in human dignity.
Africa flourishing goals offer an alternative vision for development – one that begins with what Africa already has, not with what is missing. These are locally emic efforts according to well-being. They are shaped by the indigenous knowledge systems of Africa, cultural values and religious/spiritual traditions. The pursuit of these goals means the priority of wholeness before assets, the community before consumption and resistance to rescue.
The continent has so much to offer to the world: wisdom, strong community values and opportunities to remain resilient and to live completely even in difficult times. However, many of these local findings are missing in global science of well -being.
This article will be released from the conversation, a non -profit, independent news organization that brings you facts and trustworthy analyzes to help you understand our complex world. It was written by: Victor Regent University
Read more:
Victor counted consultations for the flourishing initiative in Africa
