The study of the good life or EudaimoniaFootnote 1has been a central concern for academics and philosophers, as well as for many people, at least since Aristotelian times. This responds to the common experience that we all seek happiness. Today, we are witnessing a new paradoxical boom. The pursuit of happiness seems to permeate everything (i.e., books, media, organizations, talks), without reducing, or in some cases even increasing, the numbers of suicides, depression, and similar pathological consequences of anxiety and stress.

There is not a consensus regarding the meaning of the word happiness. Seligman (2011), one of the fathers of the positive psychology, confirmed that his original view the meaning he referred to was close to that of Aristotle. But he recently confessed that he now detests the word happiness, since it is overused and has become almost meaningless.

In contrast, flourishing could be a (new) term to refer to the good life, or eudaimonia in his full meaning. We, the editors of this book, truly believe that human flourishing is “a combination of feeling good and functioning effectively, and the experience that life is going well” (this definition follows Huppert and So (2013)). All the characterizations of flourishing in this edited book align with such definition. Furthermore, we trust that human flourishing goes beyond states and outcomes, and certainly includes mental and physical health, happiness and life satisfaction, meaning and purpose—including religious values and moral principles—, character and virtue, and close social relationships, especially family and keen.

With all these things in mind, you have in your hands (maybe in your screens) the book “Human Flourishing: A Multidisciplinary perspective on Neuroscience, Health, Organizations and the Arts.” This book comes after an enriching Expert Meeting organized by Prof. Mireia las Heras Maestro, Research Director of the International Center for Work and Family at IESE Business School, together with Prof. Marc Grau-Grau at the Faculty of Education Sciences at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and Prof. Yasin Rofcanin, Prof. at Bath Business School. The event was an interdisciplinary meeting of twelve scholars, funded by the Social Trends Institute (STI), in which participants offered their perspectives on human flourishing based on their fields of study and interest.

Not by design, but because of the outburst of the COVID-19 in March 2020, the meeting took place online, to accommodate the restrictions of in-person meeting and traveling. That added an interesting layer, as it allowed us to reflect on the need of personal, non-IT-mediated relationships. On the role of strong bonds. On the role of affect. On the role of traveling and getting to perceive the outside world. On the role of fashion as expression of individuality and character. On the role of the arts as an educational means to our affect and character. Some of these reflections permeate the book, and most specifically the chapters on The Arts.

It is our aim, with this book, to offer our readership specific contributions to grow on the understanding of what represents the best of the human condition. The book contributes with research-based findings and reflections on what enables optimal functioning. For instance, the chapter by Las Heras, Barraza, and Rofcanin reflects on what fosters constructive family dynamics and engaged motherhood and fatherhood and its relationship to work. The chapter by Rodriguez-Prat and Monforte-Royo talks about human flourishing at the ending stage of life, specifically when a sick person requires palliative care. They adopt a perspective of dignified care and suggest that human flourishing may occur once the sick is freed from the reductionist gaze that treats them as an object (the patient) or as a medical problem to be solved.

This book explores positive human dynamism in life and the generative dynamics that foster the development of human strength, the increase of personal resiliency that make better family members, more efficient employees, and citizens that contribute their best to society.

This collection of chapters, carefully edited for you, presents discussions on what enables people who have stable commitment to life and family and positive contributions to society. Specifically each chapter offers in the last paragraphs, specific guidelines and suggestions of what might contribute to increase the sense of flourishing. While each chapter draws from a specific field of research, they all point towards a synergistic view of flourishing that does not conflict with each other.

This research-based book contributes to a dialog on what is life giving rather than life depleting. What is experienced as constructive rather than adverse. And what is heartening rather than conflicting. All authors in this book contribute views on the conditions that enable positive phenomena in people’s lives that result in beneficial effects for themselves, organizations, and society in general.

We trust that the contributions of this book are of most importance in a time in which the work world has become much faster, global, and all-encompassing, putting more demands on individuals, creating stress, requiring undivided attention, resulting in many people sleeping less, ignoring personal care, and neglecting significant others. A time of the post-COVID era. During the pandemics many, if not all, have suffered from uncertainty, pain, and anxiety. In a time in which technology has blurred the boundaries between work and non-work. Globalization has led to 24/7 demands on many employees. In a time of rapid changes that result in acute competition, unrest in social and legal structures, and volatility in market valuation, companies and individuals are required to be agile and adaptable.

We have worked on this book with the hope that it will contribute to ameliorate potential destructive effects of external conditions, and facilitate the understanding of what promotes that people flourish in life. We trust that people who flourish are more agile, flexible, optimistic, and resilient. We seek to present potential solutions for individuals, families, and society. We started this project at the end of 2019. It was necessary then. And, as time has passed, and after COVID pandemic hit all of us worldwide, the reflection on flourishing has proved to be more crucially important.

At the core of this book is the firm belief that interrelations, positive dynamics, and interactions among family members, work, and society allow for flourishing. We contribute to this debate from an interdisciplinary perspective in which organizational scholars, medical doctors, and psychologists, together with scholars working on the Arts and Literature have worked jointly. We are offering you an important piece of work that will help understanding the phenomenon of flourishing. We hope that whether you are a researcher or a practitioner, our recommendations will prove helpful. It is our wish that policy makers, educators, medical doctors, and many other professionals will benefit from this book in their professional endeavors to facilitate the flourishing of those they interact with.

1 Our Special Thanks

Our gratitude is with the Social Trends Institute, a non-profit independent research center that sponsors examination and dialog about vital issues involving contemporary society and values (see more information at http://socialtrendsinstitute.org/ ). STI not only funded the Expert Meeting but also contributed to make this book open to all the readers.

Our special thanks go to Prof. Carlos Cavallé, Dean Emeritus of IESE Business School and professor in the Department of General Management, who is the Chairman, Founder, and President of the Social Trends Institute. Our conversations with him while preparing the Meeting have resulted in ideas and actions that have enriched the meeting and the quality of the book. Thank you also to Tracey O’Donnell, Secretary General of The Social Trends Institute for her constant support and energy in moving the project forward.

2 How This Book Is Organized

This book, partially, follows the structure of the Expert meeting we hold online in 2021. As already mentioned, the Expert meeting was designed to foster interdisciplinary discussion. The aim was to enable cross learning that would allow us to reach conclusions in ever field enlightened by other fields and perspectives. As a result, the book has four differentiated sections that all speak to each other:

  • Neuroscience and Health

  • Organization and Policies

  • Care and Flourishing

  • The Arts, History and Literature

We have included three chapters that we did not discuss in the Expert meeting. This responds to various reasons:

  • In the Care and Flourishing section, we have included a chapter by Rodriguez-Prat and Monforte-Royo that refers to human flourishing at the ending stage of life. The editors decided that such topic was of major interest to reflect in the different stages of human life. Also in the light of the worldwide events, of the Pandemics and other life threatening events, we consider that it was worth including such chapter.

  • Also, in the Care and Flourishing section, we have included a chapter by Toussaint and his colleagues on “Forgiveness in Human Flourishing.” We decided to do so after discussing in the Expert meeting the recent trend towards polarization and social outbursts all over the World, specifically in 2019Footnote 2. The models in this essay offer multiple vantage points from which to consider the forgiveness-flourishing connection.

  • Finally, a third new chapter has been also included in the Care and Flourishing section. Lee and Contreras highlighted how artificial agents can be used to bolster moral emotions like gratitude and compassion. We decided to include this relevant chapter to explore how flourishing could be possible with the help of technology.

The book ends with a Concluding Chapter by Maria J. Bosch, a great scholar and good friend of the editors, who attended the Expert Meeting and has done a wonderful job in summarizing and putting together the main contributions of each chapter.

3 How to Use This Book

We have organized this book to facilitate that you read each section separately and offer you insights into the topic of human flourishing. It can serve as a reference for leaders and executives who aspire to make their organizations flourishing institutions that foster well-being not only in their employees but also in other stakeholders. We hope it serves as a resource of policy makers, who design and implement wide programs at societal level, whether it is nationally, regionally, or locally. It is our ambition that it serves well to the general public, who seeks to understand what Eudemonia is, and how to live a flourishing life.

Without further ado: we let you now start your journey through the book. We hope it will result in you increasing your flourishing experience!