Pepperdine’s Cristina Gibson Co-Authors Landmark Global Flourishing Study Published in Nature

A monumental new research initiative—the Global Flourishing Study—has been featured in Nature as a Special Collection, offering an unprecedented cross-cultural analysis of well-being across 22 countries and six continents. The longitudinal panel study includes more than 200,000 participants and is designed to collect annual data over five years, exploring the complex, multidimensional nature of human flourishing.

Dr. Cristina Gibson of Pepperdine Graziadio Business School has played a leading role in this expansive project, co-authoring six peer-reviewed publications examining diverse topics such as social relationship quality, volunteering, hope, and financial well-being. These publications reflect a rich tapestry of insights into how childhood experiences, demographics, and socio-economic factors shape adult flourishing across cultures.

Among Gibson’s contributions is a paper that investigates the predictors of adult social relationship quality, revealing significant cross-national differences and offering critical insights into the upstream determinants of interpersonal connection. Another study explores how childhood conditions impact adult financial well-being across diverse cultural contexts.

The series also includes findings on childhood predictors of volunteering and hope, and how these early-life experiences influence adult behaviors and outlooks. This globally representative research marks a major advancement in understanding the roots of human flourishing.

Explore the full collection here.