Flourishing & Wellbeing

Oxford – including its Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) and Blackpool. These settings function as 'Living Laboratories' where we test innovative ways to foster human and planetary health.

Our research develops programmes in nature and green spaces that benefit both human and planetary flourishing. We call this Ecological Collective Flourishing (E-Co-Flourishing). E-Co-Flourishing means being well in multiple ways: in our bodies, our minds, our emotions; in our relationships with others and with the natural world. Specifically, this new Theme aims to develop flourishing initiatives and interventions for patients and non-patients based on further understanding of the mechanisms of action. As part of our work, we are developing a suite of tools co-designed to study and facilitate ecological collective flourishing.

One in five children and young people aged 8-25 years old are likely to experience mental health challenges. Older adults, while facing similar challenges, are less likely to receive support compared to younger people.   It is clear that evidence-based innovations are needed to drive new preventative health models alongside an overhaul in how care is delivered in, and by, communities.​

​This Theme builds on innovative proof-of-concept work and establishes a research platform that:​

•   demonstrates how non-clinical approaches and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIEP) initiatives, in which we involve people as co-researchers, can be used to connect and engage with minoritized populations and groups under-represented in research​
•  supports widespread enthusiasm for “social prescribing” with evidence on underlying mechanisms ​
•   demonstrates how trusted, accessible community resources such as outdoor spaces, public institutions and workplaces could be used to deliver preventative initiatives and mental health interventions, and enhance wellbeing; and​
•  increases knowledge of nature-oriented skills in community settings and their impact on human and planetary wellbeing

Our research aims to contribute to the establishment of a robust national mental health infrastructure and promote social justice principles by evidencing how public institutions, workplaces, and  community actors can support flourishing and mental health in all citizens, guided by ethical standards.

The E-Co-Flourishing framework illustrated below provides a holistic view of the Flourishing Theme, integrating contextual factors, underlying assumptions, and causal relationships. Recognising the complexity and dynamic nature of these elements enhances the framework’s ability to adjust to changing circumstances. This approach provides a strategic and adaptable blueprint for both planning and evaluation, particularly addressing the varied and evolving expectations and requirements of stakeholders in intricate environments.

“Icon made by Pixel perfect from www.flaticon.com“

Paper under review at People and Nature:

To deliver this research, we have engaged a multi-disciplinary team with expertise across mental health science, humanities, environment and plant sciences, and economics; built relationships and actively collaborated with community groups, Oxfordshire-based mental health charities and the third sector, as shown below:

“Icon made by Pixel perfect from www.flaticon.com“

Three linked work packages (WP) will investigate the use of gardens, woods, workplaces and museums as ‘living laboratories’ to support the rigorous testing of novel initiatives to identify the mechanisms that link non-clinical experiences and interventions and mental health and wellbeing outcomes.

WP1-Flourishing mechanisms: Innovations in Discovery Science

​We will identify the most tractable biological, psychosocial and environmental target mechanisms that enable flourishing, leveraging world renown expertise spanning the humanities and social sciences alongside neuroscience and biomedicine. The figure below illustrates our framework, to guide protocol development for studies linking nature based experience to mental health and wellbeing outcomes, incorporating human flourishing and planetary health measurement:

“Icon made by Pixel perfect from www.flaticon.com“

Paper under review at Lancet Planetary Health:

Paper registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024580361):

WP2- ‘Living Laboratories’ to promote accessible and inclusive real-world research

​We will develop experimental infrastructure at non-clinical sites, building on successful pilot interdisciplinary research across non-clinical settings, and the University of Oxford’s GLAM participation, involvement, and engagement resources. We aim to understand which Living Lab settings and participatory research methodologies best facilitate the discovery, identification, and mapping of effective E-Co-Flourishing mechanisms encompassing psychological, social, physical, moral, and ecological dimensions, while accounting for participants’ conscious and unconscious experiences.

“Icon made by Pixel perfect from www.flaticon.com“

Our methodology involves a systematic, iterative approach, across green spaces  to design evidence-based programmes and interventions tailored to specific places (for example NHS sites, parks, woods) and people, in particular young people and older adults.

“Icon made by Pixel perfect from www.flaticon.com“

WP3- Innovations to promote ethical flourishing beyond the clinic​

We will build on a strong track record of co-design, co-production and engagement with groups under-represented in research to develop novel public mental health initiatives that are accessible, acceptable and relevant to a broadly diverse range of groups.

“Icon made by Pixel perfect from www.flaticon.com“

PPIEP is fundamental to this work and there has already been various rounds of PPIEP input and co-production incorporated into all work packages.  Extending the work beyond Oxford, we will also build on the Boingboing Social Enterprise expertise, focusing on engaging with young people and people facing multisystemic disadvantage.

This is a highly innovative and novel area for research, that meets significant patient need for non-clinical mental health and wellbeing support. This theme aims to increase capacity and opportunities for interdisciplinary research, integrating co-researchers from the community, to support discovery of the complex, multi-level mechanisms underlying human flourishing.