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The rising number of interpersonal issues and mental health concerns during the pandemic has made the world debate on issues related to well-being and happiness. Such discussions on happiness and well-being demonstrate a glaring issue. Many a time, the terms happiness and well-being are discussed separately, and sometimes interchangeably. But are they the same?

Research on well-being understands psychological well-being as a combination of “feeling good and functioning effectively.” Let us decode what ‘feeling good’ and ‘functioning effectively mean’. ‘Feeling good’ include emotions of happiness, satisfaction, curiosity, engagement, conviction, and affection. ‘Functioning effectively’ involves developing ones’ potentials to the fullest, having control over ones’ life, imbibing a sense of purpose, and experiencing positive relationships. This understanding of well-being means that its scope is much beyond happiness. Then why are these two terms, happiness, and well-being, used interchangeably?

Happiness can be understood as an emotional state that is characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. When people say that they are happy, it is about their present state of mind. Happiness is related to experiencing more positive feelings than negative ones. However, sustainable well-being does not mean individuals have to be happy and always feel good, it recognizes painful emotions, including disappointment, grief, and failure, as a part of anybody’s normal life. It is one’s capacity to manage these painful emotions that becomes an essence of the long-term well-being of the individual. However, when negative emotions become extreme or long-lasting, then they may interfere with the day-to-day functioning of the individual and thereby their well-being.

Psychology of Happiness 

Psychologists assess happiness with varying measures. When some of them assess it based on the cognitive components (including high life satisfaction) others tend to look at it in terms of affective components (experiences of positive and negative emotions). Although there are assumptions that stem from quotations like ‘our pains greatly exceed our pleasures,’ many report to be ‘fairly happy’ in happiness surveys. Except for a few populations, including those hospitalized for substance abuse or newly incarcerated persons, homeless or sex workers, or students living under political suppression, people across the world have reported being ‘happy’ in various surveys that measured happiness. Although the indicators of happiness would vary demographically (based on age, gender, and race), studies have revealed certain traits of happy people. Such traits include extraversion, self-esteem, optimism, a sense of personal control, etc. A work and leisure balance, indicating somewhere between the anxiety of being overwhelmed and the boredom of being underwhelmed, is considered to what constitutes a happy life. Studies also observe that a person who invests more in social life settings, building relationships with family and friends are found to be much happier than their counterparts. Surveys also show increased levels of happiness among those who attend religious services.

Researchers also examined the relationship between money and consumption to one’s happiness. Although results indicate a tendency to find more happy and satisfied people in prosperous nations, data also shows that this correlation tapers off after a certain level, when being plotted in a graph. Studies also show a weak relationship between wealth and happiness, the associations between them tapering off once people have secured sufficient wealth to attain control over one’s lives.

Psychological Well-Being 

Psychological well-being involves positive relationships that people develop with others, feelings of autonomy, proficiency over self and resources, and personal growth and development. It involves all those that add purpose to life and makes it meaningful. As mentioned earlier, psychological well-being is achieved by attaining a balance between challenging and rewarding life events. The science of well-being tries to understand it from a multi-disciplinary approach, which defines certain typologies of well-being. These typologies are listed:

1. Hedonic well-being: It refers to subjective feelings of happiness that comprise a cognitive component and an affective component. According to this typology, individuals experience happiness when they feel emotionally positive and their satisfaction with life is high.
2. Eudaimonic well-being: This form of well-being can be understood through six factors. Self-acceptance (positive attitude towards oneself), environmental mastery (when the person attains a sense of mastery over everyday life affairs), positive relationship with others (relationships that involve reciprocal empathy, intimacy, and affection), personal growth (when the individual experiences growth and improvement in self and behavior over time), purpose in life (goal-oriented responses and conviction on the meaning of life), and autonomy (control over one’s behavior and is independent of social pressures) are those factors. A high score in each of these factors indicates the well-being of the person.

Why is Psychological well-being important?

From the earlier discussion, it may be deduced that well-being and happiness are two different concepts and must not be used interchangeably. Then what should individuals aim at? Being happy or towards well-being?

Studies show that people with high scores in psychological well-being tend to live longer and healthier. Such people are found to enjoy a better quality of life and have fewer social problems. They are also observed to be less prone to indulge in substance-abuse behaviors and tend to exhibit more pro-social behaviors like volunteering. They are those who have learned to balance their emotions and bring positivity to themselves and others. I would like to emphasize the word ‘learn’, which also means that ‘individual well-being’ can be cultivated.

Cultivating Psychological Well-Being 

From the eudaimonic model of well-being, we can infer that many factors can enhance one’s well-being. For example, self-acceptance or a positive attitude can be developed through a purpose in life. Having realistic goals set could contribute to a sense of self-acceptance when the goals are achieved. Establishing goals that are achievable and working towards the fulfillment of those goals would add more meaning to our lives. Many a time, life is meaningless when there are no goals set.

Another determinant of psychological well-being is by cultivating the feeling that ‘one has control over the world and is powerful to make changes.’ One may not be able to change the entire world but can contribute towards making the world a better place by being empathetic, or by taking smaller actions to protect the environment. This could also be achieved by exhibiting kind gestures. Such actions would cultivate confidence in oneself where individuals realize that they have the power to make a difference in the world. Charity and volunteering are small gestures that could lead to positivity and a good feeling.

Positive thinking is proved to have an impact on an individual’s psychological well-being and enhance the ‘good’ feeling. Planning for one’s future and cherishing the best memories of life could also bring positivity to life.

Mindfulness is another skill that could be cultivated for staying happy and building resilience. Mindfulness means nothing but being in the present. Studies show that mindfulness can help individuals to manage stress, cope with illnesses, and reduce anxiety and depression. Studies also indicate that individuals who practice mindfulness can relax better and have improved levels of self-esteem and possess an overall enthusiasm over life. Another method of cultivating well-being is through identifying one’s strengths, expressing gratitude, and practicing forgiveness.

The model of psychological well-being also emphasizes the importance of building and fostering healthy relationships. Studies also show that the quality of relationships matters more than the quantity of the same.

Although social media could be used to stay connected that cannot replace face-to-face communication and relationships. Strong social support is also found to be a contributor to staying psychologically healthy. Therefore, the key to improving social support could be to invest in face-to-face interactions and nurture relationships with others, in terms of having coffee with a friend, or dinner with family, getting acquainted with neighbors, reaching out to old friends, etc. In short, psychological well-being can be attained with small changes that can be brought to our lives.

 

Vineetha Sivakumar
Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts, Alliance University.