In July 2015 we announced an RFP for a $3.3 million interdisciplinary grant competition, generously funded by the John Templeton Foundation and Saint Louis University. We received nearly 300 letters of intent, and invited 55 teams to submit full proposals. The competition closed in May 2016, when funding was awarded to the 21 projects listed below. These teams will receive grants of up to $295,000, and totaling $3.3 million, for empirical and non-empirical research spanning a wide range of topics and approaches, including cross-cultural studies, measures and methods, virtue and well-being, inequality and well-being, lay conceptions of well-being, the promotion of well-being, and more. Our primary goal in funding these projects is to bring the sciences and humanities--particularly philosophy, theology and religious studies--together in the study of well-being. Notably, all empirical projects include at least one member with expertise in philosophy, theology or religious studies. We are excited to be partnering with the following investigators to advance the field of well-being research!
Click here to see the original RFP.
Click on the project title to see more information about the project.
Empirical Grants
Authentic Happiness and the Moral True Self. Yarrow Dunham (PI) (Psychology, Yale University), Joshua Knobe (Philosophy & Psychology, Yale University), George Newman (Cognitive Science & School of Management, Yale University), Shaun Nichols (Philosophy, University of Arizona), Nina Strohminger (Cognitive Science & School of Management, Yale University), and Fan Yang (Psychology, Yale University).
Compassion at the Heart of Well-Being: an Inter-Disciplinary Study of Well-Being in a Healthcare Setting. Felicia Huppert (PI) (Psychology, Australian Catholic University), Paul Atkins (Psychology, Australian Catholic University), Joseph Ciarrochi (Psychology, Australian Catholic University), Greg Fairbrother (Psychology, Australian Catholic University), Anya Johnson (Organizational Behavior, University of Sydney), Simon Keller (Philosophy, Victoria University of Wellington), Helena Nguyen (Psychology, University of Sydney), Sean O'Connor (Psychology, University of Sydney), Baljinder Sahdra (Psychology, Australian Catholic University), Geoffrey Samuel (Social Anthropology & Religious Studies, University of Sydney), Nickolas Yu (Nursing, University of Sydney).
Cross-Cultural Insights into Wellbeing among Vulnerable Populations in Eastern Africa. Peter Little (PI) (Anthropology, Emory University), Workneh Negatu (Agricultural Economics, Addis Ababa University), Mark Risjord (Philosophy, Emory University).
Developing and Testing a Theoretical Model of the Pursuit of Well-Being. Maike Luhmann (PI) (Psychology, University of Cologne), Wilfried Hinsch (Philosophy, University of Cologne), Tanja Munk (Philosophy, University of Cologne).
Flourishing Mental Health in Caregivers. Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell (PI) (Global Health, Duke University), Warren Kinghorn (Psychiatry and Divinity, Duke University), Corey Keyes (Sociology, Emory University), Kathryn Whetten (Public Policy and Global Health, Duke University), David Eagle (Health Policy, Duke University), Jen’nan Read (Sociology and Global Health), Ira Madan (Sahara Centre for Residential Care and Rehabilitation, India), Augustine Wasonga (ACE Africa – Kenya), Misganaw Eticha (Stand for Vulnerable Organization, Ethiopia), Mao Lang (Meahto Phum Ko'mah, Cambodia).
From Stories and Snapshots to Pleasure and Purpose: Capturing the Flow of Subjective Wellbeing Over Time. Paul Dolan (PI) (Economics, London School of Economics), Matthew Adler (Law, Duke University), Roger Crisp (Philosophy, University of Oxford), David Bradford (Economics, University of Georgia).
Inequality in Agency, Optimism, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Carol Graham (PI) (Economics, The Brookings Institution, University of Maryland), Richard Reeves (Philosophy, The Brookings Institution, George Washington University), Jeremy Barofsky (Public Health & Economics, The Brookings Institution), Milena Nikolova (Public Policy & International Development, Institute for the Study of Labor).
The Folk Philosophy of Well-Being. Sonja Lyubomirsky (PI) (Psychology, University of California, Riverside), Eric Schwitzgebel (Co-PI) (Philosophy, University of California, Riverside), Daniel Ozer (Co-PI) (Psychology, University of California, Riverside), Seth Margolis (Psychology, University of California, Riverside).
Understanding High Happiness in Latin America: Human Relations and Spirituality in a Life Well Lived. Mariano Rojas (PI) (Economics, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla), Eduardo Wills (Organizational Behavior, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota), Olbeth Hansberg (Philosophy, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), René Millán (Sociology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Saamah Abdallah (Psychology, New Economics Foundation).
What is a Good Life? A Happy Life, a Perfectionist Life, or a Psychologically Rich Life? Shigehiro Oishi (PI) (Psychology, University of Virginia), Lorraine Besser (Co-PI) (Philosophy, Middlebury College).
Non-Empirical Grants
Imagination and Agency. Katja Maria Vogt (PI) (Philosophy, Columbia University).
Integrating Social Cognitive Theory and Virtue Ethics. David Cloutier (PI) (Religion & Theology, Catholic University of America), Anthony Ahrens (Co-PI) (Psychology, American University).
The Moral Psychology of Inequality and its Impact on Well-Being. Alan Thomas (PI) (Philosophy, University of York), Alfred Archer (PI) (Philosophy, Tilburg University), Bart Engelen (PI) (Philosophy, Tilburg University).
Mental Suffering, the Experience of Beauty, and Wellbeing. Mark Wynn (PI) (Philosophy & Religion, University of Leeds), Anastasia Scrutton (Philosophy & Religion, University of Leeds).
The Minimally Good Life. Nicole Hassoun (PI) (Philosophy, Binghamton University).
Philosophy and the Science of Happiness. Erik Angner (PI) (Philosophy, Stockholm University).
Putting Positive Networks to Work. Michael Bishop (PI) (Philosophy, Florida State University).
Varieties of Well-Being: A Cross-Cultural Study. Owen Flanagan (PI) (Philosophy, Duke University), Wenqing Zhao (Philosophy, Duke University).
Well-Being, Agency, and Disability. Kevin Timpe (PI) (Philosophy, Calvin College).
Well-Being Amenable to Intervention. Alicia Hall (PI) (Philosophy, Mississippi State University).
Well-Being as an Object of Moral Concern: A Confucian Approach. Justin Tiwald (PI) (Philosophy, San Francisco State University).
