4/8
Key finding #1:
People define harmony more positively than balance. (based on predicted valence in the definitions!)
BUT—more people prefer to be in balance (58.3%) 🤯than in harmony.
Positivity ≠ preference.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjbIzqYXoAAu3o4?format=jpg&name=large
Key finding #1:
People define harmony more positively than balance. (based on predicted valence in the definitions!)
BUT—more people prefer to be in balance (58.3%) 🤯than in harmony.
Positivity ≠ preference.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjbIzqYXoAAu3o4?format=jpg&name=large
Comments
Key finding #2:
Where you live matters 🗺️
Preference for balance = stronger in sparsely populated countries (e.g., Australia 🇦🇺)
Preference for harmony = stronger in densely populated countries (e.g., Singapore 🇸🇬)
More people around you? Harmony matters more. 🫂
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjbI5YYWMAAqHHH?format=jpg&name=large
How people define them:
Harmony = relationships—mostly social 👥, but also with nature 🌳 and the world 🌍.
Balance = life’s big picture—work 💼, family 👨👩👧👦, self , etc.
Distinct patterns in people’s words. 🔍
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjbJwQ5WcAAakuM?format=jpg&name=large
The model agrees 🤖:
Using machine learning, we classified balance vs. harmony definitions with an AUC of 0.93.
That’s very high 🚀—meaning the concepts are easy to tell apart.
Bottom line✅:
Balance = life’s parts working together ⚖️
Harmony = quality of relationships 🫂
They’re more distinct than previously assumed.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2025.2459400?casa_token=oX5lNfThCXgAAAAA%3Az9_4cO9ouuyI1KwVJkXFneaECXO3WAG1d0qxcUKpq1VPhWm9BnytFyBf--2iOsDUAMlcBXROVadThGg#d1e257
Tim Lomas, @oscarkjell.bsky.social, Ryan Niemiec, James Pawelski, Noah Padgett and Tyler VanderWeele on this paper 🙌