Well-being

Overview and Theories of Well-being

• Well-being refers to what is intrinsically valuable for a person.
• It can be positive or negative.
• Subjective well-being is measured through questionnaires.
• Well-being is a variable that ranges from none to a high degree.
• Environmental unwellbeing is a term used to understand the impact of environmental variables on well-being.
• Well-being theories include hedonistic, desire, and objective list theories.
• Hedonistic theories equate well-being with pleasure over pain.
• Desire theories state that well-being depends on desire-satisfaction.
• Objective list theories consider a variety of objective goods.
• Counterexamples challenge hedonistic theories.

Scientific Approaches and Factors Influencing Well-being

• Developmental psychology analyzes psychological well-being across the lifespan.
• Personality psychology applies concepts like self-actualization and individuation to explain well-being.
• Clinical psychology considers biological, psychological, and social needs for well-being.
• Corey Keyes' five-component model includes factors like social integration and social acceptance.
• Psychological well-being can be understood by distinguishing positive and negative effects and emphasizing life satisfaction.
• Well-being is influenced by endogenous molecules like dopamine and serotonin.
• Well-being markers play a role in regulating an organism's metabolism.
• Positive psychology explores factors contributing to well-being, such as positive emotions and meaningful relationships.
• Economic well-being can impact emotional well-being.
• Well-being is linked to factors like health, virtue, knowledge, and desire fulfillment.

Relationship between Well-being and Ethics

• Well-being plays a central role in ethics.
• Welfarism asserts that there are no other values besides well-being.
• Well-being, pleasure, and happiness have overlapping meanings but may differ in technical contexts.
• Theories of well-being aim to determine essential elements of well-being.
• Well-being theories face challenges in explaining common-sense misalignments and selecting relevant factors.

Models and Components of Well-being

• Many different models have been developed.
• Causal network models explain increases in well-being or ill-being.
• Causal network theories have been applied to depression and digital technology.
• Network approaches have been applied to mental health.
• Diener's tripartite model of subjective well-being includes positive affect, negative affect, and cognitive evaluations.
• Positive psychology focuses on eudaimonia, the good life.
• The good life involves living a happy, engaged, and meaningful life.
• Seligman's PERMA theory includes positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments.
• The biopsychosocial model replaces the biomedical model.
• It emphasizes modifiable components for well-being.

UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) Definition and Welfarism

• The ONS defines well-being based on 10 dimensions that matter most to people in the UK.
• These dimensions include the natural environment, personal well-being, relationships, health, and what we do.
• Where we live, personal finance, the economy, education and skills, and governance are also important dimensions.
• Personal well-being includes satisfaction with life, sense of worth, and emotional experiences.
• The ONS introduced questions on well-being in their national survey.
• Welfarism is a theory of value based on well-being.
• Well-being is seen as the only thing that has intrinsic value.
• Different versions of welfarism offer different interpretations of the relation between well-being and value.
• Pure welfarists believe that overall well-being is the only thing that matters.

Well-being Data Sources