Simply put, thriving is feeling good and functioning well.
We often use the terms “flourishing” and “thriving” interchangeably, and many people use “wellbeing” to mean the same thing – a sustained sense that life is
Simply put, thriving is feeling good and functioning well.
We often use the terms “flourishing” and “thriving” interchangeably, and many people use “wellbeing” to mean the same thing – a sustained sense that life is good, meaningful and worthwhile.
Thriving also means to live and work “within an optimal range of human functioning, one that connotes goodness, generativity, growth, and resilience,” according to positive psychology researchers, Fredrickson and Losada.
Learning strategies to thrive has been shown to improve health, achievement and resilience, and can buffer people from experiencing difficulties during times of stress or hardship. Let’s be clear though – thriving is not about always having to be happy, over-optimistic, or “keeping positive”. We can thrive and still find life tough sometimes. Acknowledging difficulties and asking for help are important components of thriving.
Our knowledge of how to improve thriving has been informed by scientific research from diverse fields including child development, neuroscience and positive psychology. Researchers have sought to understand:
- The factors that help people thrive despite facing difficult experiences.
- How is it that some p