When you think of well-being, what comes to mind? For many of us, it’s something personal: our happiness, habits, goals, or mental health. But that understanding may be too small. What if well-being isn’t just about feeling better ourselves, but about participating in something larger: our families, communities, natural environments, and perhaps even something sacred?
For most of my life, I’ve thought about well-being in a more limited way, too. Self-help books, wellness culture, and even psychology often reinforced my focus on my individual self. In many ways, that helped me. Over time, however, I began to wonder whether there’s something more to a life of well-being, whether deeper meaning comes when intentionally connecting to broader forms of flourishing.
When Well-Being Becomes Too Small
An emerging understanding of well-being science supports this broader view. Researchers in Wales recently summarized several criticisms of the psychology of well-being literature, suggesting that this body of knowledge generally:
- Focuses too much on the individual, overlooking other domains of well-being, and failing to recognize how one area of well-being impacts others
- Leaves out factors emphasized in other fields of study, such as important health behaviors
- Overestimates individual control, neglecting the role of biological influences and broader societal factors (such as social isolation and inequality) and ecological factors (such as environmental degradation and climate change)
A More Holistic Model of Well-Being
In their GENIAL model, the Welsh researchers expand the topic of well-being to three interrelated domains of focus:
- The individual. This is where psychology has generally put its emphasis. It includes the critical role of positive psychological experiences such as gratitude or mindfulness. This new model also adds the critical role of health behaviors such as exercise, diet, and sleep.
- The community. This reflects the importance of social ties, social identity, and social support in fostering well-being. The Welsh researchers note this domain has become more challenging and critically important to consider, deteriorating over time with generational shifts toward isolation and loneliness.
- The environment. This refers to various elements of people’s environments, but particularly highlights the importance of the natural environment. Consistent with this, individuals who spend at least two hours per week in nature show better health and well-being outcomes than those who spend no time.
I’ve argued elsewhere that well-being science often overlooks another dimension: The sacred. This dimension often overlaps with community and nature, but for many people, transcendence plays a distinct, yet deeply interconnected, role. Taken together, this broader way of thinking moves us closer to a more holistic understanding of well-being, one that acknowledges interrelationships among personal, social, ecological, and spiritual well-being. It’s at the intersection of these forms of well-being that a deeper, holistic well-being emerges.
Beyond Self-Improvement
To better understand these different ways of thinking, let’s compare two people trying to live the good life of high well-being.
The first person writes in a gratitude journal or practices mindfulness activities by themselves 30 minutes per day, four times per week. The second person spends the same amount of time but in ways that integrate personal well-being with other dimensions. For example, they mindfully work the soil in a community garden, collecting food for a meal they prepare that begins with a shared prayer. Or perhaps they work with a small group from their spiritual community on environmental justice. Or maybe they go on a hike with a group of kindred spirits, taking time to savor the beauty they witness together.
This isn’t to say the first person wouldn’t benefit significantly. Based on previous research, we know they probably would, and that this also likely would motivate them in other prosocial ways as well. However, the second person’s lifestyle is more integrated and whole, as they explicitly connect personal practices with multiple dimensions of flourishing.
Furthermore, the second person doesn’t just benefit themselves from their behavior. A holistic understanding of well-being expands what it means to care about well-being. It’s not only about improving our own lives, but about contributing to the social and environmental conditions that support the thriving of individuals, communities, and the ecological world more broadly.
Interesingly enough, by looking beyond themselves, the second person, paradoxically, may benefit even more. Martin Seligman once said that volunteering is the “single most reliable way to increase one’s well-being momentarily.” Experiences of awe may boost well-being because they take people outside of themselves and their current frame of reference. Consistent with this, a recent research review by the Welsh researchers found that the higher well-being increases occurred with interventions that combined physical and psychological components, such as awe walks or meditation walks.
Positive Psychology Essential Reads
From Personal Happiness to Shared Flourishing
Maybe the question isn’t simply, “How can I improve my well-being?” A deeper question may be: “How can I live in ways that contribute to the well-being of both myself and the world around me?” In this broader sense, well-being becomes more than personal happiness. It becomes a way of living that ripples outward – connecting self-care with care for others, our communities, and the natural world we all depend on—helping both ourselves and the larger world flourish.
