The 3 Kinds of Connections You Need to Flourish

"Flourishing is about thriving across life's varied dimensions, such as personal growth, meaningful relationships and a sense of purpose. At the heart of it all lie the connections we cultivate. The authors of a 2023 study published in Frontiers in Psychology examined this in depth. They mentioned that everyone strives for personal happiness or well-being. However, flourishing is a broader concept, one that goes beyond momentary feelings and into the quality of how we live."

"To better understand what actually supports flourishing, they designed a study to explore the role of connectedness. Over 100 adults between 18 and 71 years old were surveyed using established measures of flourishing and connectedness. The main aim was to see how strongly each type of connection related to overall well-being and whether some forms of connection played a stronger role than others."

"However, self-love has been somewhat of a controversial construct. Historically, the idea has been looked at in polarizing ways. It's considered "good" when it's associated with health and well-being and "bad" when it's conflated with narcissism and selfishness. Researchers sought to clarify this in a 2023 study published in The Humanistic Psychologist. They examined self-love in depth and worked to distinguish it from traits like narcissism."

Flourishing involves thriving across personal growth, meaningful relationships, and a clear sense of purpose; connections are central to that thriving. A sample of over 100 adults aged 18–71 completed established measures of flourishing and connectedness to assess how different kinds of connection relate to overall well‑being. Results show that not all connections contribute equally: connection with oneself emerged as a particularly strong foundation. Self-love significantly predicts flourishing. Self-love consists of self-contact, self-acceptance, and self-care, combining to form a fuller, healthier form of self-regard distinct from narcissism or mere momentary 'feeling good'.

Read at Psychology Today