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Embodying well-being in research: key principles and praxis.

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Title: Embodying well-being in research: key principles and praxis.
Authors: Rahrig, Hadley1 (AUTHOR) hrahrig@wisc.edu, Lipsett, Megan2 (AUTHOR), David, Adam B.3 (AUTHOR), Richter, Caroline G.4 (AUTHOR), Chen, Ya-Yun5 (AUTHOR), Adams, Em V.6 (AUTHOR), Wilson, Caitlyn L.7 (AUTHOR), Mabry, Senegal Alfred8 (AUTHOR), Lai, Vincent D.9 (AUTHOR), Whitman, Kathrine10 (AUTHOR), Allison, Grace O.11 (AUTHOR), Xu, Ellie P.12 (AUTHOR), Ostermiller, Lindsey13 (AUTHOR), De Leon Sautu, Samantha8 (AUTHOR), Laubacher, Claire1 (AUTHOR), Wilson-Mendenhall, Christine D.1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Frontiers in Education. 2026, p1-15. 15p.
Subject Terms: *Research personnel, *Social norms, *Learned institutions & societies, *Community involvement, Well-being, Mental health, Participant observation, University research
Abstract: Research increasingly points to well-being as a public priority, integral to the health of individuals and communities. In response to pressing societal challenges, many researchers seek to produce scientific knowledge that advances understanding and cultivation of well-being. Academic culture rightly uplifts the products of well-being research—the knowledge that improves people's lives. However, relatively less attention is paid to fostering well-being in the process of conducting such research. Indeed, recent research indicating high rates of anxiety and depression (20%–50%) amongst graduate students and postdocs, suggest a troubling paradox: that the prioritization of well-being research outcomes may come at the expense of researchers' own wellbeing. Early-career scholars, who assume substantial demands within the scientific enterprise, are especially impacted by this tradeoff. Yet, they are uniquely positioned to re-envision a praxis for research that embeds well-being in both its products and processes. Developed by an interdisciplinary coalition of early-career scholars, this perspective paper identifies key barriers to fostering well-being in research, and in turn, proposes four guiding principles and corresponding practices: 1) cultivate belonging, 2) center communities, 3) question cultural systems, and 4) embody cultural change. In turn, these principles aim to advance the societal impact of well-being research through community-based, participatory approaches that promote solidarity between researchers and communities historically excluded from the research enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Education Research Complete
Description
Abstract:Research increasingly points to well-being as a public priority, integral to the health of individuals and communities. In response to pressing societal challenges, many researchers seek to produce scientific knowledge that advances understanding and cultivation of well-being. Academic culture rightly uplifts the products of well-being research—the knowledge that improves people's lives. However, relatively less attention is paid to fostering well-being in the process of conducting such research. Indeed, recent research indicating high rates of anxiety and depression (20%–50%) amongst graduate students and postdocs, suggest a troubling paradox: that the prioritization of well-being research outcomes may come at the expense of researchers' own wellbeing. Early-career scholars, who assume substantial demands within the scientific enterprise, are especially impacted by this tradeoff. Yet, they are uniquely positioned to re-envision a praxis for research that embeds well-being in both its products and processes. Developed by an interdisciplinary coalition of early-career scholars, this perspective paper identifies key barriers to fostering well-being in research, and in turn, proposes four guiding principles and corresponding practices: 1) cultivate belonging, 2) center communities, 3) question cultural systems, and 4) embody cultural change. In turn, these principles aim to advance the societal impact of well-being research through community-based, participatory approaches that promote solidarity between researchers and communities historically excluded from the research enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:2504284X
DOI:10.3389/feduc.2026.1836519