Mustafa Subaşı is a researcher at Ibn Haldun University and a Postdoctoral Research Partner with the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center. He worked at Prof. Dmitry Leontiev’s International Laboratory of Positive Psychology of Personality and Motivation and completed his PhD in Psychology at HSE University, Moscow, studying with Dr. Evgeny N. Osin. His PhD research provided a foundational investigation into the pathways to a good life, involving an international mega-meta-analysis through the lens of eudaimonic and hedonic pursuits, a study on well-being pursuits across WEIRD and non-WEIRD cultures, and a theoretical model linking Self-Determination Theory and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to put eudaimonia into action. His research broadly revolves around the conceptualization and measurement of positive psychological functioning.

He continues to expand this line of inquiry through a larger mega-meta-analysis of well-being pursuits and leads several cross-cultural projects. Currently, his research with the Primals Project specifically investigates how primal world beliefs play fundamental roles in well-being motivations, behaviors, experiences, and outcomes, and how they can intentionally be changed (e.g., via ACT interventions). He aims to provide a comprehensive model for understanding the sources of individual pursuits and the drivers of human flourishing across cultures.