Well-being is a term
commonly used in the psychological literature to describe healthy people. It is
often associated with contentment, happiness, or fulfillment. However, there is
debate about what well-being really is and even how to spell it.[1] With so
much confusion surrounding the definition, people often wonder what wellness is
and how to achieve it. read more. webcomputerworld
What is wellness?
Well-being involves a combination of emotional states and
lifestyle factors. Associated emotional states may include happiness and
contentment. Lifestyle factors can include feelings of accomplishment, reaching
one's potential, having some control in life, and forming meaningful
relationships. Well-being is also associated with positive mental health.[2]
Simply put, it is a construct used to describe many facets of life, including
mental, physical, and social health. Synonyms are happiness, health, positive
feelings, well-being, and well-being.[3]
It can also be defined as a state of balance or homeostasis.
This balance is achieved by having enough resources to face life's
challenges.[4] Both challenges and resources may be predominant in three areas:
physical, psychological, and social.
With an abundance of challenges and insufficient resources,
well-being is lost. However, humans are designed to work to achieve a state of
balance. Well-being is linked to interpersonal, professional and personal
success. This often leads to increased productivity at work, increased learning
and creativity, prosocial behavior, and satisfying relationships.[5]
Why is it difficult to define well-being? Probably because
it encompasses a variety of life experiences and emotional states that can vary
from person to person. To help people assess themselves, several measures have
been developed.
How is well-being measured?
Researchers must agree on a standardized definition of
well-being in order to measure it accurately. Therefore, an adequate measure
must cover all facets of well-being, both as an emotional state and as a
lifestyle. In other words, effective measurement takes into account both life
satisfaction and functioning.
Well-being can be divided into two categories: objective and
subjective.
objective well-being
Objective well-being considers the standard of living. This
is useful for research related to cultures, countries, or groups of people. It
includes measurement of education, income, security, and life expectancy.[6]
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,
the United Nations Development Program and the Italian Statistical Office have
identified six areas for objective welfare studies:
Health
employment opportunities
socioeconomic development
policy
Security
Surroundings
subjective well-being
Subjective well-being includes an emotional and mental
assessment of a person's life. Two prominent subjective measures are life
satisfaction and happiness. Measurement of subjective well-being is useful for
predicting patterns of mental health.[7] It is intrinsically determined by the
individual. Regardless of how her life is perceived from the outside, this
measures how the individual feels on the inside.
Subjective well-being can be divided into two categories:
hedonism and satisfaction. The hedonic component is related to feelings,
emotions and moods. The satisfaction component is related to thoughts and
whether a person feels that their life is satisfying. People often measure
their thinking and their fulfillment in life by their social and cultural background.
In other words, it is important to consider the context in
which a person lives. People may perceive their lives differently based on
social and cultural expectations. Furthermore, individuals cannot be measured
without considering their environment.
In 2013, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development identified subjective well-being as an important factor in
assessing well-being. Because it is perceived by the person, it is often
assessed through self-report measures. In other words, people assess their own
well-being through. read more. healthnutritionhints