Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHistorySignsTypesCausesImpactHow to Improve

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

History

Signs

Types

Causes

Impact

How to Improve

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Subjective well-being (SWB), also known as self-reported well-being, refers to how people experience and evaluate different aspects of their lives. It is often used to measure mental health andhappiness, and it can be an important predictor of individual health, wellness, and longevity.

It has become a useful measure of societal health. In addition to providing psychologists a way to assess how people feel about their lives, it also offers insights that can be used to guide public health, economic, and social policies. Policymakers utilize assessments of subjective well-being to gauge the health of societies and measure the impact of social policies.

History of Subjective Well-Being

In 1984, psychologist Ed Diener introduced a model of subjective well-being made up of three components. According to this model, there are three distinct but related aspects of how people perceive their own well-being:

According to Diener, these three factors control how people experience the quality of their lives. It also encompasses the emotional reactions people have and the cognitive judgments they make about their own life experiences.

Since its original inception in the mid-1980s, subjective well-being as a measure of overall life satisfaction, happiness, and well-being has become increasingly common. It is frequently used as a measure in psychological research and as a marker of individual health. Data about the subjective well-being of groups is can also be used to measure the efficacy of different public health initiatives.

RecapSubjective well-being emerged as a measure of happiness and life satisfaction in 1984. It is now widely used today as a way to gauge self-perceived individual and societal health.

Recap

Subjective well-being emerged as a measure of happiness and life satisfaction in 1984. It is now widely used today as a way to gauge self-perceived individual and societal health.

Signs of Subjective Well-Being

In his research, Diener found that most people generally report positive feelings about their well-being. In studies of very happy individuals, researchers found that while no single factor determined happiness, those who reported the highest levels of subjective well-being had satisfying social lives and were rarelylonely.

Additional signs of subjective well-being include:

If you had the opportunity to live your life over again, would you change anything? According to Diener, people who have a high level of subjective well-being would say that they would change almost nothing.

What Is Emotional Wellness?

Types of Subjective Well-Being

Experienced Well-Being

Experienced well-being refers to how often and how strongly people have feelings of happiness and joy. This type of well-being is also often referred to as hedonic well-being. It encompasses both affective and cognitive appraisals of overall well-being.

This type of well-being can also play a powerful role in health. For example, research has found that people who experience positive emotions more frequently tend to have stronger immune systems.

Eudaimonic Well-Being

Subjective well-being primarily focuses on experienced well-being. However, another type of well-being that can contribute to how people appraise their life and happiness is known as eudaimonic well-being.

Eudaimonic well-being stems from living a meaningful life. Working toward goals, caring for others, finding a sense of purpose, and living up to your own personal ideals are important components of this type of subjective well-being.

Causes of Subjective Well-Being

How you feel about your life often stems from your inborn temperament and overall outlook, but the circumstances in which you live also play an important part in how happy and satisfied you feel. And everyone differs in terms of what brings them happiness, so a factor that is important to one person might carry less weight for somebody else.

However, researchers have identified some key causes that play an important role in overall subjective well-being:

RecapMany different factors impact your subjective well-being. Personality, temperament, and social support can affect how you feel about your life, but so can characteristics about your society, including your access to basic resources.

Many different factors impact your subjective well-being. Personality, temperament, and social support can affect how you feel about your life, but so can characteristics about your society, including your access to basic resources.

Depression Recovery: How to Know You’re Making Progress

Impact of Subjective Well-Being

Subjective well-being doesn’t just help you feel good about your life; it also has a powerful impact on your wellness in both the short and long term. In fact, subjective well-being may be one of the most powerful predictors of overall health and happiness.

Health Benefits

Research suggests that people who have a more positive subjective well-being tend to be healthier and live longer.

Researchers also suggest that subjective well-being is linked to a decreased risk of heart disease and stroke, faster recovery after illness, and increased practice of health-promoting behaviors.

Other Benefits

Studies have also shown that people who experience positive emotions frequently are more likely to be productive and creative. They tend to earn more money, cooperate more with others, and engage in fewer risky behaviors. They also have better social relationships and engage in moreprosocial behaviors.

RecapHaving high levels of subjective well-being means that you are generally happy and satisfied with your life. This can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health, including your overall longevity.

Having high levels of subjective well-being means that you are generally happy and satisfied with your life. This can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health, including your overall longevity.

How to Improve Subject Well-Being

Some specific strategies that have been shown to be effective includemindfulnessandcognitive behavioral interventions.

Strategies That Can HelpImproving subjective well-being is a personal process that will be different for everyone. Other strategies that can help include:Building positive relationshipsGetting regular physical exercisePracticinggratitudeSetting goals that are meaningful to you

Strategies That Can Help

Improving subjective well-being is a personal process that will be different for everyone. Other strategies that can help include:Building positive relationshipsGetting regular physical exercisePracticinggratitudeSetting goals that are meaningful to you

Improving subjective well-being is a personal process that will be different for everyone. Other strategies that can help include:

Summary

A Word From Verywell

This includes making sure that you are doing things that help bring you happiness and joy. Subjective well-being is all about finding what works for you and making happiness a priority.

How to Improve Your Psychological Well-Being

11 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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Botha B, Mostert K, Jacobs M.Exploring indicators of subjective well-being for first-year university students.Journal of Psychology in Africa. 2019;29(5):480-490. doi:10.1080/14330237.2019.1665885

Diener E, Emmons RA, Larsen RJ, Griffin S.The Satisfaction With Life Scale.J Pers Assess. 1985;49(1):71-5. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13

Panel on Measuring Subjective Well-Being in a Policy-Relevant Framework; Committee on National Statistics; Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council.Introduction. In Stone AA, Mackie C, editors. Subjective Well-Being: Measuring Happiness, Suffering, and Other Dimensions of Experience.

Abdurachman, Herawati N.The role of psychological well-being in boosting immune response: An optimal effort for tackling infection.Afr J Infect Dis. 2018;12(1 Suppl):54-61. doi:10.2101/Ajid.12v1S.7

Vanhoutte B, Nazroo J.Cognitive, affective and eudemonic well-being in later life: Measurement equivalence over gender and life stage.Sociol Res Online. 2014;19(2):4. doi:10.5153/sro.3241

Di Fabio A, Palazzeschi L.Hedonic and eudaimonic well-being: the role of resilience beyond fluid intelligence and personality traits.Front Psychol. 2015;6. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01367

Martín-María N, Miret M, Caballero FF, Rico-Uribe LA, Steptoe A, Chatterji S, Ayuso-Mateos JL.The impact of subjective well-being on mortality: a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies in the general population.Psychosom Med. 2017 Jun;79(5):565-575. doi:10.1097/PSY.0000000000000444

Lasselin J, Alvarez-Salas E, Grigoleit JS.Well-being and immune response: a multi-system perspective.Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2016;29:34-41. doi:10.1016/j.coph.2016.05.003

Sakuraya A, Imamura K, Watanabe K, et al.What kind of intervention is effective for improving subjective well-being among workers? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Front Psychol. 2020;11:528656. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.528656

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