Thriving and happiness are often used interchangeably, but positive psychology distinguishes them in meaningful ways. Happiness is typically understood as a fleeting emotional state, moments of joy, pleasure, or satisfaction. Thriving, on the other hand, is a deeper and more sustainable state of well-being.
It encompasses not just positive emotions but also a sense of purpose, engagement, and growth.
Psychologists like Martin Seligman, a pioneer of positive psychology, describe thriving through the PERMA model, which highlights five key elements of well-being: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement.
While happiness is often about feeling good in the moment, thriving is about living well over time, cultivating resilience, pursuing meaningful goals, and feeling deeply connected to life.
Thriving means embracing challenges, learning from setbacks, and continuously evolving. It’s not just about experiencing joy but about flourishing, developing inner resources that allow us to navigate life’s ups and downs with strength and optimism.
What if the happiness you seek wasn’t just a fleeting emotion, but a skill you could cultivate?
Enter Positive Psychology: The Science Of What Makes Life Worth Living
Unlike traditional psychology, which often focuses on dysfunction and mental illness, Positive Psychology studies the habits, mindsets, and conditions that help people flourish.
In short, it’s not about fixing what’s broken; it’s about amplifying what works.
But how do we measure well-being in a way that truly reflects a thriving life?
This is where global research on happiness comes in, providing insights into what makes individuals and societies flourish. Two of my favourite frameworks, Gallup’s research on thriving and Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index, offer different yet complementary perspectives on what it means to live a fulfilling life.
Gallup’s Research on Thriving
Gallup has been studying well-being for decades, tracking happiness and life satisfaction across the globe. According to their research, well-being is categorized into three states:
Thriving – People who rate their current and future lives highly and experience positive emotions regularly
Struggling – Those who have moderate to low life satisfaction, experiencing daily stress and uncertainty
Suffering – Individuals who report low life satisfaction, struggling to meet basic needs and facing significant daily hardship
Their Well-Being Index measures happiness by assessing well-being across five key elements.:
Purpose: Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve goals
Social: Having strong and supportive relationships
Financial: Managing finances to reduce stress and increase security
Community: Feeling safe and engaged in your community
Physical: Having good health and enough energy to get things done daily
While Gallup provides a data-driven, global perspective on individual happiness, Bhutan takes a more holistic approach.
Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness: A Different Perspective on Well-Being
The Himalayan kingdom developed the Gross National Happiness (GNH) Index, a unique measure that prioritizes happiness over GDP.
The GNH framework assesses well-being across nine domains:
Psychological well-being
Health
Education
Time use
Cultural diversity and resilience
Good governance
Community vitality
Ecological diversity and resilience
Living standards
Bhutan’s philosophy underscores that true happiness is multidimensional, encompassing not just material wealth but also emotional, social, and environmental well-being. When viewed alongside Gallup’s research, it becomes clear that thriving isn’t just about economic stability, it’s about balance, connection, and purpose.
Beyond Fleeting Joy: How Bhutan Cultivates Lasting Happiness
Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) researchers and practitioners would likely respond by emphasizing that happiness is not just an individual pursuit but a holistic, intentional practice that integrates personal well-being, community connection, and environmental sustainability.
They would argue that happiness is indeed a cultivable skill, shaped by factors such as mindfulness, ethical living, meaningful work, and strong social relationships, all of which are embedded in Bhutan’s GNH framework. Unlike the fleeting pleasure of momentary happiness, true well-being requires fostering inner balance, resilience, and purpose over time.
They might also highlight that cultivating happiness is a collective effort, supported by policies and societal structures that prioritize well-being over mere economic growth.
Bhutan’s approach demonstrates that happiness is not just about feeling good, but about living well, in harmony with oneself, others, and the planet.
Let’s take a closer look at the inner dimension of well-being, specifically, the state of Flow and how it shapes our experience of happiness.
Flow: The Superpower You Didn’t Know You Had
Ever been so immersed in an activity that time seemed to bend, hours passing in what felt like minutes?
That’s the magic of Flow, a state of total absorption where challenge meets skill in perfect harmony. Coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (say that three times fast), Flow is the holy grail of performance and satisfaction.
Athletes call it being “in the zone,” artists describe it as creative bliss, and gamers... well, they just call it Saturday night.

The Role of Flow in Our Lives
Flow isn’t just for elite athletes or Silicon Valley entrepreneurs hacking their productivity. It’s for anyone who has ever lost themselves in a passion project, a great conversation, taking photos or cooking a perfect risotto. Research shows that when we experience Flow, our brain floods with feel-good chemicals like dopamine and endorphins, enhancing creativity, motivation, and even long-term happiness.
The best part? The more often we experience Flow, the more fulfilled we feel in daily life.
Thriving: The Role of Flow and Strengths
Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment and Flow are deeply connected.
Here is why:
Strengths as a Pathway to Flow – Flow, as described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, occurs when we engage in challenging yet manageable activities that align with our skills. CliftonStrengths helps individuals identify their natural talents, making it easier to structure work and activities that match their strengths, increasing the likelihood of experiencing Flow
Effortless Engagement – When people use their top strengths, they often feel energized, focused, and deeply engaged, which mirrors the characteristics of Flow, intense concentration, intrinsic motivation, and a sense of time distortion
Peak Performance & Well-Being – Both frameworks emphasize that aligning work with strengths leads to higher performance and greater satisfaction. When people operate in their strength zones, they are more likely to enjoy their work, perform at their best, and experience Flow states more frequently
Resilience & Burnout Prevention – Flow is linked to well-being, and CliftonStrengths supports this by helping individuals lean into strengths rather than fixating on weaknesses, creating sustainable energy and reducing burnout
In short, CliftonStrengths provides a roadmap to identifying personal strengths, and Flow is the state we often enter when we apply those strengths in an optimal way. Together, they offer a powerful approach to thriving at work and in life.
Flow and Strengths
Here's the key insight: Flow happens most easily when we’re using our strengths. If you have Analitical talent, research might naturally absorb you for hours. If empathy is your superpower, coaching a friend through a tough time might feel effortless.
When we align our work, hobbies, and relationships with what we naturally do well, Flow can become not just an occasional delight but a way of life. This is why leveraging your strengths isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s the key to unlocking deeper engagement, sustainable productivity, and joy.
How to Invite More Flow Into Your Life
Ready to make Flow a daily habit? Here’s how:
Find Your Strengths: Identify what energizes and excites you. Book a discovery call with me to debrief your CliftonStrengths results, or email me for access to the assessment and coaching sessions designed to help you integrate these insights into your personal and professional goals.
Match Challenge to Skill: Flow happens in the sweet spot, too easy, and you’re bored; too hard, and you’re stressed
Positive Psychology teaches us that thriving isn’t just luck, it’s a practice.
If you’re ready to shift from struggling to thriving, I can help you uncover your unique strengths using Gallup's CliftonStrengths. Together, we’ll explore how to leverage these insights to experience more Flow, increase positive emotions daily, and enhance your leadership, of yourself, and of others.
Strengths are also a powerful resource for navigating key life and work challenges, such as negotiations, preventing burnout, managing conflict, starting a new role, seeking your next career opportunity, and many other exciting adventures.
Additional links:
The latest Gallup Global Emotions Report, published in July 2024, indicates that worldwide happiness has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with positive emotions reaching their highest levels since 2020. This report explores the factors contributing to human well-being, happiness ratings of countries, and the importance of measuring happiness.
For a detailed analysis of the findings, you can refer to Gallup's article titled "What's the Happiest Country on Earth?" published in March 2024.
Additionally, Gallup's "How Do We Measure Happiness?" page provides insights into the methodology behind the World Happiness Report.
Hi, I’m Monika, Strengths Coach, facilitator, social-profit organization leader, and photographer. I’m here to help you own your vision for meaningful growth and transformation, uncover your unique leadership strengths, and empower you and your team to thrive and create lasting impact. Passionate about driving change within, around, and beyond, I love supporting fellow change-makers on their journeys.

I hope you’ll visit often, and I look forward to connecting and working together!
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