Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
Publication Title
Emerging Adulthood
Keywords
flourishing, developmental tasks, emerging adulthood, established adulthood, young adulthood
Abstract
Using data from 857 young adults (18 to 35 years-old), we explored how satisfaction with education, work, romantic, and leisure experiences were associated with flourishing. We found associations between satisfaction and flourishing, even when accounting for having completed salient developmental tasks related to education, work, romantic relationships, and leisure. Although we did not find that gender (cisgender women compared to cisgender men) or developmental stage (emerging adult compared to early established adult) moderated associations between developmental domain satisfaction and flourishing, we did find gender and developmental stage differences in education, work, and leisure satisfaction as well as developmental task completion within those domains. By incorporating subjective satisfaction, this study offers nuance for understanding the transition to adulthood and the diverse ways individuals experience it.
Funding Source
This article was published Open Access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Sage Journals.
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
DOI
10.1177/21676968261443735
Recommended Citation
Beckmeyer, J. J., Jamison, T. B., & Hartman, C. L. (2026). Exploring the Role of Satisfaction With Love, Education, Work, and Leisure in Flourishing During Emerging Adulthood and Early Established Adulthood. Emerging Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968261443735
Comments
First published in Emerging Adulthood (2026): https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968261443735