Psychological well-being as part of the public health debate? Insight into dimensions, interventions, and policy

Abstract

BackgroundIncreasing evidence suggests that psychological well-being (PWB) is associated with lower disease and mortality risk, and may be enhanced with relatively low-cost interventions. Yet, dissemination of these interventions remains limited, in part because insufficient attention has been paid to distinct PWB dimensions, which may impact physical health outcomes differently.MethodsThis essay first reviews the empirical evidence regarding differential relationships between all-cause mortality and multiple dimensions of PWB (e.g., life purpose, mastery, positive affect, life satisfaction, optimism). Then, individual-level positive psychology interventions aimed at increasing PWB and tested in randomized-controlled trials are reviewed as these allow for easy implementation and potentially broad outreach to improve population well-being, in concert with efforts targeting other established social determinants of health.ResultsSeveral PWB dimensions relate to mortality, with varying strength of evidence. Many of positive psychology trials indicate small-to-moderate improvements in PWB; rigorous institution-level interventions are comparatively few, but preliminary results suggest benefits as well. Examples of existing health policies geared towards the improvement of population well-being are also presented. Future avenues of well-being epidemiological and intervention research, as well as policy implications, are discussed.ConclusionsAlthough research in the fields of behavioral and psychosomatic medicine, as well as health psychology have substantially contributed to the science of PWB, this body of work has been somewhat overlooked by the public health community. Yet, the growing interest in documenting well-being, in addition to examining its determinants and consequences at a population level may provoke a shift in perspective. To cultivate optimal well-being—mental, physical, social, and spiritual—consideration of a broader set of well-being measures, rigorous studies, and interventions that can be disseminated is critically needed.

Mind over Matter: Testing the Efficacy of an Online Randomized Controlled Trial to Reduce Distraction from Smartphone Use

“…These results have clinical implications as low-intensity interventions may prevent small scale emotional problems from developing into clinical disorders and can reduce incidences of mental health problems [ 236 , 237 ]. Practitioners may also find value in using mindfulness and monitoring practices as an adjunct to therapy for problematic use of smartphones.…”

Not Able to Lead a Healthy Life When You Need It the Most: Dual Role of Lifestyle Behaviors in the Association of Blurred Work-Life Boundaries With Well-Being

“…Not only are those for whom a healthy lifestyle would be most beneficial less able (cf. willing) to sustain a healthy lifestyle, but research also shows that unhappy individuals live a less healthy life, which in turn leads to lower happiness ( Trudel-Fitzgerald et al, 2019 ). To break the vicious spiral, work-life struggles, lifestyle, and happiness can be targeted.…”

“…Finally, happiness is a point of interest when advising people who experience blurring of work-life boundaries. We investigated happiness as a subjective well-being outcome of a healthy lifestyle, but lifestyle and happiness most likely have a bidirectional and reciprocal relationship ( Trudel-Fitzgerald et al, 2019 ). Hence, happiness can be considered a modifiable determinant of lifestyle.…”

“…Happiness can be used as a practicable and subjective measure to identify hedonic well-being ( Di Fabio and Palazzeschi, 2015 ; Diener et al, 2018 ; Trudel-Fitzgerald et al, 2019 ). We evaluated happiness using a single item from the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12; Goldberg and Williams, 1988 ), which is “Have you been feeling reasonably happy, all things considered?” As happiness is often treated as a unidimensional construct, single-item measures of happiness are very common in subjective well-being research and the validity of such measures is recognized across a large body of literature ( Abdel-Khalek, 2006 ; for a review, see Nor-Azzatunnisak et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Happiness can be used as a practicable and subjective measure to identify hedonic well-being (Di Fabio and Palazzeschi, 2015;Diener et al, 2018;Trudel-Fitzgerald et al, 2019). We evaluated happiness using a single item from the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12; Goldberg and Williams, 1988), which is "Have you been feeling reasonably happy, all things considered?"…”