Wellbeing Made Easy: Two Types of Wellbeing You Need to THRIVE!

For the next few months on the blog, we’ll be diving deep into one of my favorite topics to research, lecture on, and discuss casually: Wellbeing. 

In recent years, wellbeing has arrived as a science, complete with research and applications. But as a concept, it has existed for millennia. Religious leaders, poets, writers, and (in the last century) secular self-help experts have written about it ad nauseum. It’s no wonder our modern world is fascinated and mesmerized by the concept. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) declares that health is "a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (1). But only in the last three decades or so have we had scientific studies to establish the research and applications of wellbeing. These studies bring empirical evidence: using techniques of wellbeing lowers disease burden and mortality from certain diseases as well as increases quality of life. 

This is really exciting! 

Here’s why:

Because applications extend far beyond individuals; research has established benefits for school age children in mental health and academic achievement (2), big data studies about population health (3), and applications in the army help soldiers buffer the effects of trauma (4). It is also proposed as a measure of a nation’s progress, as important as GDP (5). 

And yet...

While wellbeing may be discussed as a concept and researched in certain branches of practice, it is not taught in medical schools or residency programs as a discipline that could be beneficial to not only patients, but also to physicians themselves. 

Wellbeing is primarily researched within the fields of psychology. Specifically, positive psychology, social psychology, organizational psychology, and coaching psychology. While the need for wellbeing has been discussed by many mental health disciplines for over a century, until recently, empirical studies in the field were lacking. Martin Seligman is widely considered the father of positive psychology. When elected president of American Psychological Association in 1998, he chose positive psychology as the central theme for his term. He wanted mental health to be more than just the absence of illness and he ushered in an era of research that focused on what makes people feel happy and fulfilled (6). 

Mental health is MORE than just the absence of illness.

This work is a natural progression from the research and growth the field experienced by establishing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition in 1980 (7). Prior to DSM III, there was uncertain and inconsistent use of mental health diagnoses. Establishing such a document standardized terminology, research, and search for empirical treatments in mental disorders. The DSM, now in its 5th edition, is still a work in progress. As is work in the field of wellbeing. 

In wellbeing, the focus is placed equally on illness, deficit, and distress as well as wellbeing, virtues, and strengths. Just as it is important to study risk factors for a disease, there are protective factors that can play another role, to both protect one from a disease, and create wellbeing and help humans thrive. For example, love of learning has been associated with healthy and productive aging (8). It is a strength that helps a person engage new information and skills, as well as persist through challenges, setbacks, and negative feedback. 

Wellbeing is known by many names – wellness, happiness, joy, bliss, and others. Associated terms like resilience, grit, agility, awe, meaning, engagement, emotional intelligence, mindfulness also crop up as well. 

It is important to note that the WHO declaration about mental health includes the term wellbeing. It is "a state of wellbeing in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community " (9). 

And yet, there is currently no consensus around a single definition of wellbeing. There is general agreement that at minimum, wellbeing includes the presence of positive emotions and moods (e.g., contentment, happiness), the absence of negative emotions (e.g., depression, anxiety), satisfaction with life, fulfillment and positive functioning. Simply, wellbeing can be described as judging life positively and feeling good (10).

Two Types of Wellbeing

Wellbeing is commonly conceptualized in two ways: Subjective wellbeing (SWB) and Psychological wellbeing (PWB) (11). 

These are derived from two separate traditions: hedonism and eudaimonism. 

SWB focuses on the hedonic aspect of wellbeing, the pursuit of happiness and a pleasant life. PWB, on the other hand, focuses on eudaimonic wellbeing, the fulfillment of human potential and a meaningful life (12). PWB involves perceived thriving in the face of existing life challenges, such as pursuing meaningful goals, growing and developing as a person, and establishing quality ties with others. 

Both types of wellbeing are strongly related to each other and affect each other. Both must be addressed to achieve lasting improvements in wellbeing. 

While SWB is primarily concerned with “feeling good”, PWB moves deeper and is concerned with thriving in the face of existing challenges of life, making it the more comprehensive type of wellbeing. But only by combining both types can one create a lasting sense of autonomy, and self-efficacy (13). Individuals with high levels of PWB are likely to experience many positive and pleasurable feelings as well as difficult and uncomfortable ones. Yet, focusing solely on SWB would undermine the foundations of comprehensive human wellbeing.

Results from cross-sectional, longitudinal and experimental studies find that wellbeing is associated with (14, 15):

• Self-perceived health

• Longevity

• Healthy behaviors

• Mental and physical illness

• Social connectedness

• Productivity

• Factors in the physical and social environment

 In summary, wellbeing encompasses collective effects of high functioning in multiple domains of life including work, personal relationships, and health. The gradual building up of literature has helped make this term more acceptable as compared to other terms that have had similar contextual use and will be used throughout the course.

Throughout the next few posts, we’ll explore wellbeing more in depth, looking at both PWB and SWB, plus the four separate domains of wellbeing. We’ll also discuss learning how to understand and care for your own individual wellbeing on a daily basis. 

I hope you’ll join me on this journey! 

In fact, we have created just the program you need to succeed. If you’re ready to maximize your leadership potential and provide opportunities for your team to thrive in the workplace, contact me to get started. Let’s create a customized program that’s perfect for your organization!

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Sources: 

1. World Health Organization: Promoting Mental Health. Concepts, Emerging Evidence, Practice. 2004, Geneva: World Health Organization. 

2. Gillham JE, Reivich KJ, Freres DR, et al. School-based prevention of depressive symptoms: A randomized controlled study of the effectiveness and specificity of the Penn Resiliency Program. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007;75(1):9‐19. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.75.1.9

3. Eichstaedt JC, Schwartz HA, Kern ML, et al. Psychological language on Twitter predicts county-level heart disease mortality. Psychol Sci. 2015;26(2):159‐169. doi:10.1177/0956797614557867

4. Casey, G. W., Jr. (2011). Comprehensive soldier fitness: A vision for psychological resilience in the U.S. Army. American Psychologist, 66(1), 1–3

5. Ortiz-Ospina, E. and Roser, M., 2020. Happiness And Life Satisfaction. [online] Our World in Data. Available at: <https://ourworldindata.org/happiness-and-life-satisfaction> [Accessed 8 June 2020].

6. Ppc.sas.upenn.edu. 2020. Martin E.P. Seligman | Positive Psychology Center. [online] Available at: <https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/people/martin-ep-seligman> [Accessed 8 June 2020].

7. Psychiatry.org. 2020. DSM History. [online] Available at: <https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/history-of-the-dsm> [Accessed 8 June 2020].

8. Narushima M, Liu J, Diestelkamp N. Lifelong learning in active ageing discourse: its conserving effect on wellbeing, health and vulnerability. Ageing Soc. 2018;38(4):651‐675. doi:10.1017/S0144686X16001136

9. World Health Organization. Promoting mental health: concepts, emerging evidence, practice (Summary Report) Geneva: World Health Organization; 2004.

10. Cdc.gov. 2020. Wellbeing Concepts | HRQOL | CDC. [online] Available at: <https://www.cdc.gov/hrqol/wellbeing.htm> [Accessed 8 June 2020].

11. Chen, F.F., Jing, Y., Hayes, A. et al. Two Concepts or Two Approaches? A Bifactor Analysis of Psychological and Subjective Wellbeing. J Happiness Stud 14, 1033–1068 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-012-9367-x

12. Panel on Measuring Subjective Wellbeing in a Policy-Relevant Framework; Committee on National Statistics; Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council; Stone AA, Mackie C, editors. Subjective Wellbeing: Measuring Happiness, Suffering, and Other Dimensions of Experience [Internet]. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013 Dec 18. 1, Introduction.  

13. Ryan, Richard & Deci, Edward. (2000). Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Wellbeing. The American psychologist. 55. 68-78. 

14. Diener E, Seligman ME. Beyond money. Toward an economy of wellbeing. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 2004;5(1):1–31.

15. Lyubomirsky S, King L, Diener E. The benefits of frequent positive affect: does happiness lead to success? Psychol Bull 2005;131(6):803–855.