When was the last time you paused to think about what truly makes life satisfying?
While this might seem a deeply personal and subjective question, researchers have long been interested in what influences our overall sense of wellbeing. To explore this, Kohlrabi, commissioned by the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, carried out two rapid reviews to uncover what really helps boost life satisfaction over the long run.
In this post, we’ll dive into the insights we found from one of our reviews, which focused on the key factors that contribute to lasting satisfaction in life. Here’s what the research reveals about the long-term drivers of life satisfaction.
Why a Rapid Review?
Rapid reviews are a faster way to gather and assess evidence, especially when quick decisions are needed. While they are streamlined compared to traditional reviews, they still follow rigorous processes to ensure reliability. These include registering protocols in advance, using clear and consistent search strategies, searching multiple academic database and grey literature, and critically appraising all articles with established quality assurance tools, making rapid reviews a valuable tool for policymakers and organisations in need of timely yet credible evidence.
For a clear, step-by-step look at how we carried out the review, check out our technical report.
What Did We Look At?
Our review identified six key themes influencing life satisfaction:
Economic and Financial Situations
Education and Employment
Social Capital
Health and Health Promotion
Environment
Arts and Culture
What Works Well
Income Changes: Increases in income were consistently linked with higher life satisfaction, particularly when moving out of financial hardship.
Educational Attainment: Gaining accredited qualifications was positively associated with improved life satisfaction, highlighting the long-term value of education.
Close Relationships: Nurturing strong social connections and support networks was a crucial factor in boosting life satisfaction.
Physical Health: Improvements in or maintaining good physical health had a significant positive impact on life satisfaction.
Community and Culture: Participation in arts and cultural activities was linked to greater life satisfaction, underlining the importance of community engagement.
Challenges and Negative Impacts
Unemployment: Losing a job or prolonged unemployment had a clear negative effect on life satisfaction.
Declining Health: Health setbacks were strongly associated with reduced life satisfaction.
Where Evidence Is Limited
Some areas, such as commuting time, environmental factors, mental health, and health behaviours, lacked sufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions. More research is needed to better understand how these factors influence life satisfaction over time.
What Does This Mean for You?
Our findings offer actionable insights for individuals, communities, and policymakers:
For Individuals: Investing time in relationships, pursuing education, and engaging in physical activity and cultural activities can enhance your satisfaction in life!
For Employers: Supporting employees’ health, fostering strong workplace relationships, and offering fair pay can boost their life satisfaction!
For Policymakers: Prioritising access to education, healthcare, and community programmes—especially in underprivileged areas—can drive long-term improvements in societal wellbeing!
The Road Ahead
While our rapid review provides valuable insights, gaps remain in key areas such as environmental impacts and mental health. Addressing these gaps requires further research and collaboration across sectors. At the same time, the evidence we do have underscores the importance of policies and practices that promote positive change in education, income, health, and community engagement.
Let’s work together to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to lead a satisfying and fulfilling life—because wellbeing matters for us all.
Want to learn more about our findings? Head over to the What Works Centre for Wellbeing website to explore the full project!
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