Well-being: What does it even mean?
Well-being: What does it even mean?
Well-being has long been a topic of conversation. From the earliest religions to the great minds of Greek philosophy, "the good life" has been a topic of pursuit. Every culture has defined well-being differently, and as civilization continues to grow and diversify, this definition only becomes more complex. There are multiple facets of research that aim to define and understand well-being. Through theoretical and applied research, psychologists have sought to understand and classify well-being.
There have been two significant schools of thought regarding well-being: hedonic and eudemonia (Carter & Andersen). Hedonic beliefs were centered around the understanding that well-being was comprised of the sum of pleasurable moments that an individual may experience (Carter & Andersen). Eudemonia is characterized by the idea that well-being is achieved when individuals are engaged in what they believe is worth doing. In other words, they are living out their truth and in alignment with their inner self (Carter & Andersen).
Within Positive Psychology two theories concerning subjective wellbeing exists. The Bottom Up Theory dictates that the sum of quality relationships, jobs, and income produce feelings of overall well-being. The Top Down Theory states the well-being is a construct of how an individual interprets their own experiences (Carter & Andersen).
Theoretical Research
Within the bounds of theoretical research, there are two theories of well-being: objective and subjective. Theories of Objective Well-being are founded on beliefs that well-being is observed via external and universal indicators like health, education, relationships, and connections (Carter & Andersen). These theories define well-being as the individuals having the opportunity to practice reasoning and participate socially through education, work, and politics (Carter & Andersen). Within Subjective theories of well-being, it is believed that well-being is achieved through two significant facets: (1) feelings, emotions, and mood; and (2) school, work, and family (Carter & Andersen). Subjective well-being compares positive states over negative states in an individual's life (Carter & Andersen). It is defined as the collection of "affective experiences and cognitive judgments (Carter & Andersen). It is to say that strong indicators of subjective well-being include life satisfaction and the existence of more positive emotions than negative emotions during an individual's lifetime.
Applied Research
This sector of research, Applied Research, focuses on ways to solve life problems that are tied to societal connections. This type of research is geared towards solving world problems. Psychologists' research is centered on creating greater life satisfaction. Some data has implied that this goal can be achieved through commitments to family and friends, through social and political involvement, and via altruistic behavior (Comptom & Hoffman, 2013).
Researchers have noted that increased or addiction level use of social media platforms has indicated a relationship with decreased well-being. This was inferred from decreased reports in health, quality of sleep, and through increased perceived stress levels (Atroszko et al., 2018). So, although social involvement is a crucial element for achieving well-being, overexposure to digital/virtual social networks may not produce similar well-being results. Individuals compare themselves to those around them or make lateral social comparisons. Downward social comparisons, or comparisons to others they view as less fortunate, produce feelings of greater satisfaction (Comptom & Hoffman, 2013). When considering this regarding social media, individuals are bombarded by accounts from multiple individuals that are upward social comparisons. This may be an exciting research area to investigate in terms of social media use and subjective well-being.
Social media can also be a powerful tool in collecting data and understanding well-being within societies. Through the advances in digital technology and the internet, social media has presented dynamic data collection methods. Data scrapping has become a groundbreaking and insightful tool for investigating the subjective well-being of geographical locations. Through this method, researchers can scrape social media platforms for the use of crucial "well-being focused" words on public posts. By identifying the well-being focused words, psychologists can interpret geographic areas' well-being scores (Seligman, 2013). This information is useful for understanding well-being on an individual level and looking at how external factors may interact with society members.
PERMA
The man, the myth, the legend, Dr. Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology, created the PERMA model to express the measurable elements of well-being. PERMA is an acronym used to describe these elements.
P stands for Positive Emotions, which include feelings not limited to happiness and joy;
E stands for Engagement or flow, defined as the involvement in activities connected to an individual's likes;
R stands for Positive Relationships, such as connections that promote positive emotions, not limited to romance;
M stands for Meaning, this is defined as purpose; and
A stands for Achievements/Accomplishments, which are achieved through the pursuit of success and mastery (Carter & Andersen).
These elements are the building blocks of well-being, the essential components that make up the whole. In Positive Psychology and with the PERMA model, the goal is to help individuals flourish and thrive, no matter what. It is not just for individuals experiencing distress or depressive symptoms; it goes beyond the disease model.
Well-being Today
PERMA model is a tool that helps psychologists define well-being and make it a measurable variable. Previously, traditional Psychology was not able to define well-being and sought to repair only the damaged or distraught. The school of Positive Psychology sought to understand and define well-being and stable human existence. It implies that happiness is founded on pleasure, engagement, and meaning. Traditional psychology expressed distress and discomfort through psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive, and behavioral theories.
Cognitive therapies still play an essential role within the bounds of Positive Psychology as these theories can help individuals learn techniques to feel and experience negative emotions in a more manageable and less overwhelming way (Duckworth & Seligman, 2017). Cognitive theories imply that individuals can increase their subjective well-being by managing how external events are interpreted or internalized (Comptom & Hoffman, 2013). These theories imply that happiness is a system of beliefs rooted in assumptions, expectations, and interpretations of reality (Comptom & Hoffman, 2013).
"There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so,"
from the words of Shakespeare's Hamlet
Coping mechanisms and behavioral theories can and do play an intrinsic role in well-being. By learning to experience negative emotions in less overwhelming ways and to extend the experience of positive events, it can be inferred that using better-coping styles can lead to higher subjective well-being (Comptom & Hoffman, 2013). Behavior change theories state that goals should be measurable and obtainable, which holds true when creating goals for increased subjective wellness (Comptom & Hoffman, 2013). Hope Theory is a tool that assists individuals in creating clear goals with multiple paths to achieve them. It helps provide individuals with the energy and commitment to achieve these goals (Comptom & Hoffman, 2013).
All in all, it can be concluded that being happier can help people led more satisfying lives. And when an individual is living a satisfying life, their subjective well-being is reportedly better. Many researchers have revealed that people who reports feeling happier and more satisfied with life tend to achieve greater success over a wide range of life domains (Comptom & Hoffman, 2013).
Food For Thought
1. Taking steps to manage negative emotions and experiences can help them feel less overwhelming and increase subjective well-being.
2. Taking steps to extend positive emotions and experiences can increase subjective well-being.
3. Decreasing time spent on social media can increase subjective well-being.
4. Combing the Bottom Up and Top Down theories, it is best to work on changing one’s environments and experiences, AND to work on changing one’s attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions.
5. When making behavior changes and setting goals, keep them measurable, obtainable, and in alignment with one’s interests.
References:
Atroszko P. A., Balcerowska J., Bereznowski P., Biernatowska A., Pallesen S., Schou Andreassen C. (2018). Facebook addiction among polish undergraduate students: validity of measurement and relationship with personality and well-being. Comput. Hum. Behav. 85 329–338. 10.1016/j.chb.2018.04.001
Carter, S., & Andersen, C. (n.d.). Theoretical conceptualisations of wellbeing. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://usq.pressbooks.pub/wellbeingineducationalcontexts/chapter/theoretical-conceptualisations-of-wellbeing/
Compton, W. C., & Hoffman, E. (2013). Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Flourishing (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Duckworth, A. L., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2017). The Science and Practice of Self-Control. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(5), 715–718. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617690880
Seligman, M. E. P. (2013). Positive psychology: New developments
