Social Flourishing: Skills for Fostering Positive Social Connections and Relationships

The capacity to cultivate flourishing relationships has important implications for health and well-being (Reis & Gable, 2003). There is increasingly a focus in positive psychology, and related fields, on identifying the positive processes and skills that can be employed to foster warm, momentary connections with others, as well as long-lasting, life-enhancing social bonds. At the basis of many of these skills is a requirement to cultivate an interest and concern for others; an orientation towards supporting and promoting other people’s well-being. This orientation towards others has the potential to positively impact well-being beyond the participants in the interaction. The benefits of positive social connections have been found to ripple out to other people in the network (Fowler & Christakis, 2009). Therefore the potential positive impacts of developing and cultivating positive relationships are substantial and wide-reaching.

Author dc:creator

• Vargas, Rebecka

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/38851

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.upenn.edu:20.500.14332/38851