[ambivalents]

I'd love to know more what you mean by 'life-affirming.' Based on context, sounds like you mean, be an authentic person, don't sugar coat things, be imperfect, show vulnerabilities. Is that right?

I find myself drawn to these types--they may have asshole-ish moments or nice moments. That doesn't matter as much as my personal connection to them, the sense of whether I am rooting for them or not.

[Bakary]

I would define it as a positive feedback loop that is a mix of authenticity, energy, personality, desire, boldness, desire and will. There is perhaps a better word for it, but generally a person that exemplifies some of the strongest characteristics of human life as instinctively recognized by humans themselves.

As a corollary, such people tend to be naturally charismatic, but I would venture that this is a direct consequence of their other traits. One arresting definition of charisma I have heard is that it is a measure of how much you can delineate yourself as an entity in the world and how you can use that to affect reality. Life-affirmation and a zest for living draw directly into that.

Note that I don't necessarily include intellectual brilliance in the equation, though it obviously helps.

[waheoo]

Adjective; having an emotionally or spiritually uplifting effect.