What are some means to well-being and happiness?

While there are many descriptions of wellbeing, the fact that it’s important to all people is irrefutable. Wellbeing has many components, such as mental, psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual.

Social Wellbeing is a sense of belonging to a community and making a contribution to society.

Emotional Wellbeing means feeling good. Being happy, experiencing positive emotions like love, joy or compassion, and feeling generally satisfied with life.

Spiritual Wellbeing can include feeling connected to a higher power, a sense of meaning or purpose or feelings of peace or transcendence.

The World Health Organisation describes ‘wellbeing’ as a “resource for healthy living” and “positive state of health” that is “more than the absence of an illness” and enables us to function well: psychologically, physically, emotionally and socially. In other words, wellbeing’ is described as “enabling people to develop their potential, work productively and creatively, form positive relationships with others and meaningfully contribute to the community” (Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project 2008).

Sarah Stewart-Brown, professor of public health at Warwick University (UK) and wellbeing expert explains that wellbeing can take many forms but a useful description is “feeling good and functioning well and feeling happy is a part of wellbeing but far from the whole”.

There is a deeper kind of wellbeing, which is about living in a way that is good for you and good for others around you. Further to this concept of wellbeing:

• Feelings of happiness, contentment, enjoyment, curiosity and engagement with their community, are characteristic of someone who has a positive experience of their life.
• Equally important to wellbeing, is our capacity to psychologically function well in the world. Maintaining positive relationships, having some control over one’s life and having a sense of purpose, self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Wellbeing does not mean that you never experience feelings or situations that you find difficult, but it does mean that you feel you can cope with tough times.

It’s important to understand that ‘wellbeing’ or ‘being- well’ as something you do, rather than something you are. The things we do and the way we think can have a big impact on our experience!

Benefits from Wellbeing

Hundreds of research studies have proven, wellbeing doesn’t just feel good – it’s important for happier, healthier living:

• Optimism and positive emotions can reduce the risk of a heart attack by up to 50%. Optimism can be learnt!
• Experiencing three times more positive emotions compared to negative ones leads to a tipping point beyond which we become more resilient to adversity and better able to achieve things.
• Happier people live longer – potentially adding 7½ years to their lifespan.
• Our expression of positive emotions, such as happiness and optimism, influences the people we know, and studies show our positivity can be passed on to others.
• Having high levels of wellbeing has been shown to increase our immunity to infection, lower our risk of some mental health problems, reduce mental decline as we get older, and increase our resilience.
• A high level of wellbeing is as good for heart health and provides as much protection from coronary heart disease as quitting smoking does.

Research also shows that people who report higher levels of wellbeing tend to be:

• More involved in social activities and community groups
• Environmentally responsible
• Experiencing better family and social relationships at home
• More productive at work
• More likely to be working or studying full-time
• more likely to recover quicker from a range of chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes), and
• In young people, higher levels of wellbeing significantly influence alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use.

Evidence suggests that the whole population can benefit from being active to increase or maintain their psychological wellbeing. The diagram below (Keys 2002) shows that wellness and illness are not opposites, but rather are on two different measures. It explains how wellbeing can be improved for people who do not have a diagnosed illness but have low levels of wellbeing, and for those who do have a diagnosed illness.

Psychological wellbeing includes a number of different aspects:

• Autonomy: the freedom to make your own decisions
• Self-acceptance: satisfaction or happiness with oneself. This includes an awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses. It results in an individual feeling that they are of “unique worth”.
• Mastery: the ability to manage everyday situations.
• Positive relationships with family, friends or others.
• A sense of purpose or meaning in life.
• Personal growth: facing challenges that are manageable and lead to developing new skills or becoming a better person.

Influences on Wellbeing

While there are many influences, it is now broadly understood that the greatest influences on our quality and capacity for optimal wellbeing largely relate to the social and economic conditions of where our lives take place (World Health Organisation 2004).

These influences interact with one another and with other known biological and psychological influences. This makes health and wellbeing complex.

The 5 Ways To Wellbeing draws on scientific evidence about protective factors for psychological and emotional wellbeing operating at an individual level.

The most recent and extensive research evidence suggests there are 5 main ways all individuals can play an active role towards improving and maintaining a sense of wellbeing:

1. Connect
2. Be Active
3. Keep Learning
4. Be Aware
5. Help Others

Further Reading/References

1. Diener E, Seligman ME. Beyond money. Toward an economy of well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest2004;5(1):1–31
2. Herrman HS, Saxena S, Moodie R. Promoting Mental Health: Concepts, Emerging Evidence, Practice.A WHO Report in collaboration with the Victoria Health Promotion Foundation and the University of Melbourne. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2005. //www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/MH_Promotion_Book.pdf[PDF – 1.98MB]. Accessed Oct. 1, 2010
3. World Health Organization. 1949. WHO Constitution. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from //www.who.int/about/en/.
4. Ryff CD, Keyes CLM. The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology1995;69(4):719–727
5. Keyes CLM. The mental health continuum: from languishing to flourishing in life. J Health Soc Res 2002;43(6):207-222.
6. Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project 2008, Final project report – executive summary, The UK Government Office for Science, London

Happiness, Neuroscience, Self Development By Lisa Firestone, Ph.D.

Like love, happiness is often treated like a physical object we must find and snatch up. Yet, also like love, happiness is something we are more likely to cultivate within ourselves than stumble upon in our wanderings. As the Dalai Lama said, “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

Determining what these actions are is each individual’s personal adventure, but research can provide some guidance. Studies show that the happiest people are those who seek meaning as opposed to immediate gratification or pleasure. To find fulfillment, each of us must uncover our true hopes, ambitions, dreams and ideas, then make our actions match these ideals. As Albert Camus once wrote, “But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?”

Of course, no matter how perfectly we conduct our lives, they won’t always be joyful. The happiest and fullest of life stories are sure to be colored with waves of pain and sadness. So, perhaps, a richer, more attainable goal than “happiness” is to seek well-being.

A 2011 study from the British Psychological Society concluded that “well-being amounts to more than mere happiness and involves a wide range of personal and social domains, including positive relationships and a sense of meaning and purpose in life.” Research reported in the 2015 World Happiness Report found four new constituents of well-being and their underlying neural bases. According to the report “well-being has been found to be elevated when individuals are better able to sustain positive emotion; recover more quickly from negative experiences; engage in empathic and altruistic acts; and express high levels of mindfulness.”

These findings mirror the work of Dr. Richard Davidson, an award-winning psychologist and, most recently, the author of The Emotional Life of Your Brain. At this year’s Wisdom 2.0 conference, I had the privilege of hearing Davidson speak on what he has discovered through his research to be the four elements of well-being. According to Davidson, these traits include:

1. Generosity — Being generous means taking an action toward another person that is attuned and sensitive to that person’s needs and wants. It involves being giving of ourselves in ways that extend beyond ourselves. As the World Happiness Reportconcluded, “well-being depends heavily on pro-social behavior,” which involves “individuals making decisions for the common good that may conflict with short-run egoistic incentives.” The report lists pro-social behavior as including “honesty, benevolence, cooperation and trustworthiness.”

Yet, generosity doesn’t just benefit the recipient of our offerings. It’s incredibly valuable to our own mental and physical health. It can help naturally reduce stress and combat depression, while enhancing our sense of purpose. It can even help lengthen our lifespan. I write more about the surprising rewards of giving in my blog “The Benefits of Generosity.”

2. Resilience — Resilience describes an ability to persevere when things become difficult. It involves meeting life’s challenges rather than shying away or feeling defeated. A resilient person recognizes their personal power, while living in and accepting reality as it is. A resilient person sees their potential to change their situation, to evolve, adapt and accomplish their goals.

This approach to life represents what my father Dr. Robert Firestone has identified as being in an adult mode, in contrast to maintaining a childish stance or adopting a parental/ judgmental point of view. He sees these characteristics as essential elements to being an emotionally healthy individual.

The idea that resilience is one of the primary keys to well-being is backed by Dr. Salvatore Maddi’s 35 years of research into “hardiness,” a form of psychological resilience that predicts how well we will do in our lives, relationships, personal goals and careers. Maddi’s famous 12-year longitudinal study of Bell Telephone employees concluded that “hardiness is the key to the resiliency for not only surviving, but also thriving, under stress. Hardiness enhances performance, leadership, conduct, stamina, mood and both physical and mental health.”

3. Attention — As Davidson describes it, attention involves being present and putting our focus where we want it. This places us in a receptive rather than a reactive mode. Mindfulness can be extremely useful in this process, as it helps us to develop our ability to focus our attention and cultivate a sense of presence. When we remain in the present moment fully experiencing our lives, we are able to concentrate on what currently needs tending to and thereby take the necessary steps to reaching our long-term goals. The many benefits of mindfulness meditation include reduced stress and exhaustion and increased psychological well-being, self-esteem and quality of life.

4. Goodness — According to Davidson, we are all better off when we believe in the basic goodness of our fellow human beings and ourselves, for that matter. If we adopted this principle, we’d all feel less aggressive and experience less violence in our society. Dr. Kristin Neff, who’s done extensive research on the benefits of self-compassion, also lists “common humanity” as one of three key elements to self-compassion.

“All humans suffer,” said Neff. “The very definition of being ‘human’ means that one is mortal, vulnerable and imperfect. Therefore, self-compassion involves recognizing that suffering and personal inadequacy is part of the shared human experience — something that we all go through rather than being something that happens to ‘me’ alone.”

In his book The Ethics of Interpersonal Relationships, Dr. Robert Firestone addresses the benefits of seeing our common humanity and outlines the dangers of focusing on our differences and the need to see “our group” as superior.

Truly adopting these four principles of well-being into our lives can help us to live a more harmonious and rewarding existence. However, there is a fifth element I would add that can enhance our ability to live a more generous, resilient, attentive and good life, and that is differentiation.

5. Differentiation — For each of us to tap into our inner strength and live in an “adult mode,” we must differentiate from negative past influences and programming that act as overlays on our behavior. We must identify and separate from unhealthy adaptations we’ve made to our past. These include destructive attitudes and unfavorable ways of seeing ourselves and our abilities as well as of viewing others and their shortcomings. This process of differentiation, developed by my father, involves four key steps, which I explain in more detail in my blog, “Becoming Your Real Self.” Put most simply, the steps are:

1. Separate from destructive attitudes that were directed toward us that we’ve internalized 2. Differentiate from negative traits of parents and other influential caretakers 3. Break free of old defenses that we built to cope with negative childhood events

4. Develop our own value system and approach to life