I expected the google search of “well-being” to return the automatic dictionary result, maybe a few other dictionary results, and maybe even a thesaurus.com page with synonyms. I didn’t expect the third result to be a Center for Disease Control and Prevention page. Under the “Health-Related Quality of Life” section of the CDC’s page, they say “There is no consensus around a single definition of well-being, but there is general agreement that at minimum, well-being includes the presence of positive emotions and moods, the absence of negative emotions, satisfaction with life, fulfillment and positive functioning.”
When trying to develop my model of well-being I attempted to pick aspects that by fulfilling them, would ensure happiness, fulfillment, and “positive functioning” to satisfy the CDC’s definition. My four pillars would be; 1. social 2. health 3. environment 4. security and trust.
- Social
- Do you feel connected to your community?
- Do you have relationships that are rewarding?
- Do you have opportunities to meet people outside of your community and form new relationships?
- I watched the “What makes a good life?” TED talk where the speaker presented the results of a study on peoples lives, which found that men who said they felt socially connected to their communities, lived longer and were happier in their old age, so I think this is an incredibly important aspect of well-being
- Health
- Are you physically and mentally healthy?
- If not, does your community have the resources to help you get healthy, and do you have access to these resources?
- Environment
- Does your environment and community challenge you intellectually?
- Do you feel you have opportunities to learn new tasks and expand your knowledge?
- Does your environment have opportunities for you to enjoy the outdoors and challenge yourself physically?
- Does your environment and community challenge you intellectually?
- Security and Trust
- Do you feel safe in your community?
- Do you trust those around you?
- Do you feel secure in your access to resources, health, jobs, etc?
While I am sure that these 4 aspects cannot ensure a perfect happy and healthy life, I think that having all of these things would go a long way to ensuring a satisfying and relatively happy life.