What is well-being? How can we know when and to what extent someone is happy? These questions may initially seem quite easy to answer, as we generally know when we are happy and satisfied. However, as easy as it may be to know when one is happy and as desirable as it is to be happy, understanding the structure and promotion of well-being requires solid scientific foundations. This is a very relevant topic, given the broad implications that range from health to the cosmetics industry.
One of the fields of Psychology most focused on investigating well-being is Positive Psychology, founded by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1998. Empirical research in this area suggests that what we call well-being is not a single, fixed characteristic. In fact, it seems to be composed of two different but related factors: subjective well-being and psychological well-being.
Subjective well-being encompasses the affective component arising from the balance between positive and negative emotions along with the cognitive element of judgments about satisfaction with one’s own life. On the other hand, psychological well-being is more focused on our relationships with others, the environment we live in, and our life goals, being composed of six factors: positive relationships with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, self-acceptance, purpose in life, and personal growth.
Empirical Approach and Implications
In the scientific article titled "Measuring happiness: The higher order factor structure of subjective and psychological well-being measures," positive psychologists Alex Linley and colleagues conducted a factor analysis to examine the structure of subjective well-being and psychological well-being in large samples in the United Kingdom. The research was published in 2009 in the scientific journal "Personality and Individual Differences."
Their analyses revealed that subjective well-being and psychological well-being indeed present themselves as two independent but related factors, which is consistent with previous research in the literature. In this study, the researchers demonstrated that the structure of well-being (subjective and psychological) does not vary according to age, gender, or ethnicity. However, the authors suggest conducting longitudinal research in the future to assess the influence of both, as well as using other samples to evaluate the influence of ethnicity, since this was not the objective of the study.
The fact that men and women, young and old, and people from different ethnic groups all have the same components of both subjective well-being and psychological well-being indicates that this is a basic human need. The fact that we all have the same structural components of well-being does not mean that there are no individual differences in the level of well-being or in how it is experienced. Because one thing is knowing what human well-being is, and another is knowing how its level and manifestation vary among individuals. Due to this universal nature of its structure, research on this topic has great social relevance, as it can be applied to generate innovation in the industry for promoting human well-being, regardless of gender, age, and ethnicity.
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