{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T07:01:46Z","timestamp":1790146906075,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Healthy aging is often misinterpreted as merely delaying biological aging and extending longevity, overlooking the broader dimensions of wellbeing and quality of life in later years. Dominant biomedical frameworks frequently underestimate the human essence in aging, neglecting the holistic and multidimensional aspects of life that contribute to thriving in late adulthood. This study applies the concept of flourishing to examine healthy aging by integrating Martin Seligman\u2019s PERMA model of well-being and Ryff\u2019s six-dimensional model of psychological wellbeing. The purpose of this research is to explore the concept and process of aging by comparing the lived experiences of older adults with the perspectives of stakeholders involved in older adult care across two cultural contexts: India and Spain. Specifically, the study aims to identify factors and psychosocial protective elements that support flourishing, quality of life, and cognitive well-being in late adulthood, and to compare these factors across two cultures. A total of thirty older adults and thirty stakeholders will be recruited across the two countries using purposive sampling. Semi-structured in depth interviews will be conducted, guided by phenomenological inquiry for older adults and interpretative inquiry for stakeholders, using separate interview guides for each group. Data will be analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings are expected to provide insights into person-centered, culturally sensitive, non-pharmacological interventions and policies that support holistic well-being in later life. This study contributes to reframing aging as a process of \u201cgrowing old well,\u201d emphasizing well-being and quality of life across the lifespan.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1849648","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T06:19:48Z","timestamp":1790144388000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Study protocol for applying flourishing to healthy aging: a cross-cultural exploration of older adults\u2019 lived experiences and experts\u2019 perspectives"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Sneha","family":"Ouseph","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Fundaci\u00f3 Salut i Envelliment (Foundation on Health and Ageing), Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona","place":["Barcelona, Spain"]},{"name":"Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona Departament de Psicologia Clinica i de la Salut","place":["Bellaterra, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"Dom\u00e9nech","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fundaci\u00f3 Salut i Envelliment (Foundation on Health and Ageing), Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona","place":["Barcelona, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruth Angiel","family":"Padiri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Applied Psychology, Central University of Tamil Nadu","place":["Tiruvarur, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ramon","family":"Miralles-Basseda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona","place":["Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Barajas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona Departament de Psicologia Clinica i de la Salut","place":["Bellaterra, Spain"]},{"name":"Serra H\u00fanter Programme, Government of Catalonia","place":["Barcelona, Spain"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1121761","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1121761","article-title":"Active aging needs from the perspectives of older adults and geriatric experts: a qualitative study","volume":"11","author":"Ayoubi-Mahani","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. 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