Rethinking wellbeing: Toward a more ethical science of wellbeing that considers current and future generations

Abstract

The construct of wellbeing has been criticised as a neoliberal construction of western individualism that ignores wider systemic issues including increasing burden of chronic disease, widening inequality, concerns over environmental degradation and anthropogenic climate change. While these criticisms overlook recent developments, there remains a need for biopsychosocial models that extend theoretical grounding beyond individual wellbeing, incorporating overlapping contextual issues relating to community and environment. Our first GENIAL model (Kemp, Arias, & Fisher, 2017) provided a more expansive view of pathways to longevity in the context of individual health and wellbeing, emphasising bidirectional links to positive social ties and the impact of sociocultural factors. In this paper, we build on these ideas and propose GENIAL 2.0, focusing on intersecting individual-communityenvironmental contributions to health and wellbeing, and laying an evidence-based, theoretical framework on which future research and innovative therapeutic innovations could be based. We suggest that our transdisciplinary model of wellbeing-focusing on individual, community and environmental contributions to personal wellbeing-will help to move the research field forward. In reconceptualising wellbeing, GENIAL 2.0 bridges the gap between psychological science and population health health systems, and presents opportunities for enhancing the health and wellbeing of people living with chronic conditions. Implications for future generations including the very survival of our species are discussed.

Building Wellbeing in People With Chronic Conditions: A Qualitative Evaluation of an 8-Week Positive Psychotherapy Intervention for People Living With an Acquired Brain Injury

“…In response, we have proposed a model of health and wellbeing, the GENIAL model, that spans both approaches (Kemp et al, 2017;Mead et al, 2019), emphasizing a role for the individual, community and the wider environment. Our model and its recent iteration (Kemp et al, 2017;Mead et al, 2019) characterizes sociostructural influences over individual health-related behaviors and subsequent wellbeing, emphasizing an important role for community cohesion and collective efficacy to support individual health-related goals. In doing so, our model emphasizes important roles for novel vehicles for change such as task shifting and partnership working to improve individual wellbeing and longevity.…”

Predictors of wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Key roles for gratitude and tragic optimism in a UK-based cohort.

“…On the basis of the reviewed evidence, immune function was identified as playing a central role through which beneficial effects arose. We have noted previously that vagal function -a core feature of the GENIAL model -plays an upstream neuroimmunoregulatory role (Kemp et al, 2017;Mead et al, 2019) suggesting a common psychophysiological mechanism for wellbeing. Further evidence for the relationship between nature and wellbeing comes from epidemiological research, with strong evidence for a strong association between the quantity of green space surrounding the residence and perceived mental health, general health, and all-cause mortality of the residents (van den Berg et al, 2015).…”

“…This issue is considered within the context of our recently proposed theoretical framework of wellbeing (Kemp et al, 2017;Mead et al, 2019), the GENIAL model, which is characterised by a life-course biopsychosocial approach which places individual wellbeing within the context of community and environmental ecosystems.. Accordingly, the present study will target exemplars within each domain of this framework, encompassing individual, community and environment domains.…”

“…Together these emotions reflect 'positive psychological experience' that can impact on wellbeing through various routes including strengthening vagal function (Kemp et al, 2017;Kok et al, 2013;Mead et al, 2019), improving social ties (Kok et al, 2013), and broadening an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire (Fredrickson, 2004) Studies have reported small to large correlations between optimism and multiple health factors, such as post-surgical physical quality of life (r = .13), general quality of life (r =.37), mental health (r = .21; (Auer et al, 2016), and subjective wellbeing (r = .54; Duy & Yıldız, 2019). Similarly, gratitude has correlated with various wellbeing factors, including life satisfaction (r = .30; Chen & Kee, 2008) and psychological wellbeing (r ranging from .17 to.…”

A novel ACT-based video game to support mental health through embedded learning: a mixed-methods feasibility study protocol

“…19 The focus on physiological data in the psychotherapeutic context is gaining traction [20][21][22] and has strong theoretical underpinnings. [23][24][25] Within PM, there are three mini-games: 'The face of Cronos'; 'Treasures of the sea' and 'Sign of the Magupta'. Each of these mini-games were designed to train different skills, for example, 'The face of Cronos' and 'Treasures of the sea' develops planning skills, impulse control, coping skills, stress management and emotional self-regulation, while 'Sign of the Magupta' was designed to train relaxation, breathing techniques and improve physiological and emotional awareness.…”