Training and Development Managers!
PUZZLED about where to find content for your learning program or portal?
Get 1000+ management and soft skills training resources from Mind Tools Corporate.
Quick Tools
Subjective Well-Being
Living Your Own Good Life
How do you define happiness?
© iStockphoto/pascalgenest
"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, and hell of heaven."
– John Milton, English poet
We all want to be happy in our lives, and we all want to experience "well-being."
However, people often disagree about what well-being involves. Some say that you need to live an honest, positive life. Others believe that you achieve it by doing rewarding, challenging, or enjoyable work. Still others equate it with living according to your core values, while also focusing on your spiritual and emotional development.
The point is that well-being is subjective – we all have different ideas about what it means to live a fulfilling life. There is no one "correct" path to achieving a state of well-being. (Although there may be many incorrect paths!)
In this article, we'll examine the concept of "subjective well-being." We'll discuss what it means, why it's important, and how you can use the ideas behind it to experience well-being in your own life.
... for the complete article:
Mind Tools members, click here.
Join the Mind Tools Club to finish this article AND get 1,000 more resources
Join now for just $1, first month
"When I started using Mind Tools, I was not in a supervisory position. Now I am. Along with that came a 12% increase in salary."
– Pat Degan, Houston, USA
Join the Mind Tools Club
Get training, help and ideas to boost your career: the Mind Tools Club gives you much, much more than you get here on the basic Mind Tools site.
And if you join before midnight on May 9th, we'll also give you a FREE copy of our Future-Proof Your Career workbook.
Where to go from here:
Next article 
Free newsletter
Join Mind Tools
1 Day to Go!
Get Our Future-Proof Your Career Workbook FREE
Join the Mind Tools Club before midnight, May 9th, and get our Future-Proof Your Career workbook (worth US$19.99) for FREE.
Get the Free
Mind Tools App
Learn on the move with the free Mind Tools iPhone, iPad and Android Apps. Short bursts of business training ideal for busy people.
Related Resources
References
Stutzer, A. and Frey, B.S. (2010) 'Recent Advances in the Economics of Individual Subjective Well-Being,' Social Research Magazine, 22 June 2010. (Available here.)
Plagnol, A.C. and Scott, J. (2009) 'What Matters for Well-Being: Individual Perceptions of Quality of Life Before and After Important Life Events,' Applied Research in Quality of Life, Vol. 6, No. 2. (Available here.)
Diener, E. (2009) Frequently Asked Questions About Subjective Well-Being, University of Illinois, [Online] Available here. [Accessed: 28 February, 2012.]
Diener, E. and Chan, M.Y. (2011) 'Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity,' Journal of Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, Vol. 3, Issue 1, March 2011.
What Bugs You?
- Let us know about anything wrong, or anything you don't like about this site, and you could win a US$50 Amazon voucher!
Sponsored Links
Leadership Skills