Understanding the enigma called Wellbeing

Ever since the emergence of the field of wellbeing, the literature on psychological well-being has progressed rapidly. Wellbeing is defined as not just the absence of disease or illness, but as a complex combination of a person's physical, mental, emotional and social health factors. Wellbeing is linked to how you feel about yourself and your life. Every aspect of your life influences your state of wellbeing. One can derive a sense of wellbeing from a happy intimate relationship, close friends, a fulfilling career, money, a fit body, leisure pursuits, healthy self-esteem, optimistic outlook, achievable goals, a sense of purpose and meaning and spirituality. The factors that influence wellbeing are interrelated. Current social indicators can capture aspects of quality of life but not the subjective well-being of people because they do not reflect the actual experiences such as the quality of relationships. Why is wellbeing so elusive? Wellbeing is important, but seems a little hard to come by. Measurement of wellbeing itself is difficult proposition as it is so subjective; how we feel about our life largely depends on how we perceive and evaluate it. Much of what we think will improve our wellbeing is either misguided or just false. Contrary to what many people believe, wellbeing isn't just about being happy, nor is it only about being wealthy or successful. And it's certainly not limited to physical health and wellness. In fact, focusing on any of these elements in isolation may drive us to frustration and failure. When striving to improve our lives, we are enticed by prospects that promise to make our lives better. While it might be easier to treat these critical areas in our lives as if they operate independently, they don't. These factors do not operate in isolation and can be understood in totality. This symposium is an effort to define and understand the concept of wellbeing in a holistic manner, looking at it from different perspectives.