In the Space Between

Beyond nationality, geography, demographics, political persuasion, religious tradition or socio-economic status, there’s a singular quest that we share as human beings: the desire to flourish, to be well in all (or as many as possible) areas of our lives. For decades, media has reflected back — if only dimly and in part — this universal longing to thrive with a seemingly endless stream of headlines ranking the “happiest,” “wealthiest,” “least stressed,” “least lonely,” “most physically fit” or “most spiritual” countries, cities, cultures and peoples around the world.

But what are the readers who keep these polls in circulation really searching for? And does achieving high success in one or two of these areas translate to real flourishing if one is lacking in the rest?

Findings from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), which, so far, has gathered three rounds of data from nearly 200,000 people in 22 countries — easily the most wide-ranging study of human flourishing ever conducted and the only one built to follow how well-being changes over time across different cultures, economies and belief systems — show that the answer to those questions is layered, literally.

Led by Baylor researchers in partnership with Harvard University, Gallup and the Center for Open Science, over the last three years (six if you count the pilot studies) the GFS has been measuring human flourishing across six key categories and more:

• happiness and life satisfaction,
• physical and mental health,
• meaning and purpose,
• character and virtue,
• close relationships,
• and financial stability.

But it’s what happens between those areas that makes the study and its potential applications especially compelling.

Again and again, GFS data shows that flourishing isn’t a menu you can pick and choose items from. Rather, it’s an ecosystem — when one area shifts, everything else is affected. It also shows that if we are to experience what Associate Director of Baylor’s Institute of Global Human Flourishing Matthew Lee, Ph.D., calls “whole-person well-being,” the goal is to keep growing in as many areas as we can while accepting that some things are outside of our control.

“We aim for integration, but sometimes it is not possible to grow in all areas,” Lee said. “At the end of life, we might be declining in terms of the health of our physical body, but we might be finding deeper meaning and enhanced relationships, so it is helpful to think of whole-person health rather than only the body and remember that flourishing is multi-dimensional.” 

A keen appetite to better understand and apply this interconnected aspect of flourishing has been drawing all kinds of individuals at the very top of their fields or industries to Baylor with their questions. Whether from an NBA team or the PGA, a Fortune 500 company or nonprofit leadership, federal and local government agencies or pastors, physicians, town builders, and even prison wardens, Lee and other GFS researchers field inquiry after inquiry from highly successful professionals and leaders who have realized that something’s still missing or lagging at the cultural heart of their organizations. Knowing the benefit will ripple from a personal level to the bottom line and back again, they want to learn how to better resource their clients, employees or teams when it comes to holistic well-being.

Lee has found that what’s often missing, across the board, is the relational piece, the ability to understand our own flourishing within the context of (and symbiotic with) community. For a person to develop into their best possible self, giving to and receiving from a thriving ecosystem of people also dedicated to growth in flourishing is mandatory — in a phrase: a community of practice. A community of practice reframes flourishing from an individual pursuit into a shared responsibility. It asks not just, “Am I well?” but, “Am I helping create the conditions where others can be well, too?” In that sense, flourishing becomes something we cultivate together through habits of attention, mutual investment and a willingness to be changed by one another. So how do we get there?

“It doesn’t happen just through hearing from experts,” Lee said. “It requires real dialogue between real people.”

A Case Study for Dialogue: Family as a Community of Practice 

What kind of dialogue can actually produce change? That’s one of the questions Lee and two practitioners in attendance at Harvard’s Flourishing in the Workplace Conference began a dialogue about that resulted in the Flourishing Performance Indicators (FPIs) framework and an article that is as much a tool helping families to redefine holistic success as it is an academic document.

Together, the authors — Lee, who established and still directs the Flourishing Network at Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program; Cale Dowell, B.B.A. ’09, president of Arkos Global Advisors; and Benjamin Pascut, Ph.D., senior manager of private equity investment at Ambassador Enterprises — address a startling statistic: 90% of high-wealth families today will lose their wealth by the third generation. At its core, the breakdown isn’t about money. It’s about purpose left undefined, relationships left unattended and families without a shared vision for what truly matters.

In his work advising high-net-worth (HNW) families, Dowell saw a consistent pattern: while businesses operate with clear metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) for success, families often default to a single measure — the size of the balance sheet. But money alone cannot sustain a legacy. And without shared purpose, strong relationships and clear communication, even the greatest financial success begins to erode over time.

The FPI framework, with its thoughtful and strategic prompts to create communication momentum between family members and across generations, was created to address that deeper need. It offers families a broader definition of success, a way to name what matters, identify where gaps exist, and take concrete steps toward greater alignment. Drawing on insights and measures from the Global Flourishing Study, it creates a shared language that allows families to have the conversations they’ve often avoided — about identity, values and the kind of legacy they want to build together.

Dowell uses the framework regularly in his financial advisory work with HNW families, where the most pressing challenges are rarely financial. The FPI helps cultivate conversations to bring those issues into focus and provides a path forward, one that strengthens both relationships and stewardship.

Less than a year after its development, the FPI’s impact extends beyond Dowell’s clientele. When shared with Baylor alumnus Andrew Brenneman, B.B.A. ’11, M.Acc. ’11, president of 721 Holding Company, it resonated deeply.

“Reviewing the FPI framework helped us navigate hard truths about communication and character,” Brenneman said. “Today, our family office spends as much time on spiritual, psychological and relational health as we do on asset allocation — and I’m confident our legacy will continue to be passed down.”

That shift captures the heart of the FPIs’ purpose. It’s not just about preserving wealth — it’s about cultivating the kind of community within a family who can sustain it, steward it and use it with intention.

Ultimately, the vision for the FPI goes far beyond high-net-worth families and family-owned businesses. Its principles are designed to be adapted across communities — churches, schools and organizations of all kinds — because the real goal isn’t simply to pass something down. It’s to build something lasting: families and communities grounded in purpose, marked by strong relationships, and capable of flourishing for generations, stewarding resources of all kinds with intention, so that the world around them can flourish too.

Research Translated into Real-World Tools 

In April 2025, Baylor launched the Institute for Global Human Flourishing. Leveraging the knowledge and understanding gained from early waves of the GFS research along with new tools being created, the Institute will bring human flourishing to life on the Baylor University campus, while also extending its reach and impact to the community, the country and the world. 

“I am grateful that Baylor’s mission aligns so perfectly with the bold vision of the Institute for Global Human Flourishing. This extraordinary commitment positions Baylor to be a leader not only in advancing scientific knowledge via the Global Flourishing Study and related research, but it will also provide the infrastructure to offer much needed resources and tools to support the application of this knowledge to power a global flourishing movement,” Byron R. Johnson, Ph.D., inaugural director of the Institute for Global Human Flourishing, co-principal investigator of the GFS and director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor, said. 

Working alongside Baylor’s Student Life leadership to expand flourishing across the University, the Institute plans to implement Communities of Practices (CoP) for Flourishing at Baylor. A new “innovation laboratory” will enable translational research and development of practical, repeatable processes and tools for carrying out flourishing in the church, local and state organizations, government, businesses and private industry and non-profits.

Early work has partnered Institute staff with Student Life leaders to evaluate areas where the University should invest in flourishing initiatives impacting students. Baylor has long been committed to student flourishing, but the results of the Global Flourishing Study now enable staff to use a new framework based on the dimensions of flourishing to create a flourishing ecosystem on campus.

“The process began by assessing current programs and services alongside the six domains of flourishing,” Sharra Hynes, Ph.D., vice president for Student Life, said. “This has helped us see areas of strength or areas where more emphasis is needed. We’ve used this assessment to shape plans that contribute to our students’ growth in character and virtue.”

A variety of programs have grown out of this partnership. Among them, leadership opportunities through Baylor’s Leadership for the Common Good initiative are focused on developing characteristics and virtues that help students lead for the betterment of society. Key aspects of the program include a living-learning community focused on leadership development in first-year students, a leadership speakers series open to all students, workshops and mentors and a leadership minor that students can add to any program. “Year2@Baylor” is a program for second-year students. At a time in their college lives when students know more about their interests and are academically ready to move into a major, this program focuses on helping students find their purpose — one of the most important components of human flourishing. 

As findings from the GFS show, flourishing is not something individuals are meant to pursue alone or measure in fragments. It is something people build together. GFS data may span continents, but its message is deeply personal: the path to becoming more fully alive is not found in striving independently but in leaning into others who are also committed to a journey of growth, bridging the space between us.