Research

Executive Summary WHAT IS PERSONAL AGENCY? Personal agency refers to people’s beliefs that they can impact the world around them and pursue their own aspirations. Psychologists have developed several theories of personal agency and dedicated decades of research to...

Click here to open the PDF in a new tab. Executive Summary “Digital flourishing” refers to feeling good about how we interact with others online and the choices we make in our digital lives. This concept is the counterpart to reports of ill effects related to digital...

FOREWORD By Clay Routledge One of humanity’s most remarkable capabilities is our ability to mentally time travel. While this cognitive gift enables us to envision and plan for the future—a key to our success as a species—we also draw profound psychological sustenance...

As an existential psychologist who studies human motivation, I believe that cultivating a positive vision of the future is essential to building a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, existing research suggests that there is much work to be done. Numerous surveys indicate...

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Executive Summary

This report investigates the current state of patriotism in the United States and its relationship to hope for the country’s future. Drawing upon data from a national survey conducted by Archbridge Institute’s Human Flourishing Lab, the findings reveal that most Americans maintain a positive national identity.

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Hope is a critical component of individual and societal flourishing, and it plays an important role in advancing human progress. When people are hopeful, they are more driven, resilient, open-minded, creative, innovative, and effective at solving problems.

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Executive Summary

The term nostalgia was coined in 1688, but it has only been in the last quarter century that scholars have begun to systematically study this phenomenon and how the human tendency to longingly reflect on past experiences influences psychological functioning.

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Executive Summary

WHAT IS HOPE?

When people are going through tough times, they will often say, “I hope things get better soon.” People may also feel hopeful when they are dreaming about a positive future.

This article was originally published in the Harris Poll. With the latest advances in generative AI and large language models, virtual reality, robotics, and more, the role technology plays in modern life is rapidly evolving and expanding. The Harris Poll recently...

This article was originally published in the Harris Poll. Before the start of the winter holiday season—defined as the period beginning in mid-November and running through New Year’s Day—The Human Flourishing Lab at The Archbridge Institute and The Harris Poll...

Click here to open the PDF in a new tab. Key Findings: 1. Most Americans (61%) agree that most of their fellow Americans can be trusted. This includes 63% of men and 58% of women. 2. There are no differences in social trust between political groups. Around 60% of...

This article was originally published in the Harris Poll. World fertility rates—defined by the World Bank as “the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with...

Click here to open the PDF in a new tab. Key Findings: Most Americans (69%) agree or strongly agree that they have the power to live a meaningful life (high existential agency). This is the case for both men and women and across regions of the country. The percent of...

Click here to view the PDF in a new tab. Key Findings: 1. As in previous years most Americans, regardless of race, income, or education, believe that they haveeither achieved the American Dream or are on their way to achieving it. And the trend shows that fewerpeople...

Click here to open the PDF in a new tab. Optimism plays a central role in human progress. Therefore, it is concerning that many Americans are pessimistic about the future of the United States and its role in the world. For example, according to a Pew Research Center...

Click here to view PDF in a new tab. Existential psychology plays a central role in human progress and flourishing, in part, because meaning in life is a self-regulatory and motivational resource that helps people live healthy, productive, prosocial, and goal-oriented...

Click here to open the PDF in a new tab. Key Findings: 1.Most Americans, regardless of race, income, or education, believe that they have either achieved the American Dream or are on their way to achieving it.2. Most Americans regard living better and fuller...

Click here to view the PDF in a new tab. Key Findings: Most Americans, regardless of race, income, or education believe that they have either achieved the American Dream or are on their way to achieving it. The Covid-19 pandemic has negatively affected Americans’...