What Is Subjective Well-Being?

Subjective well-being is our inner response — our personal evaluation and emotional experience of our own life. It refers instead to our sense of well-being — a personal feeling best described as: “I’m doing well. I feel well.”

Subjective well-being has two main components:

• a cognitive one — how we think about and evaluate our life (our internal judgment of satisfaction), and

• an emotional one — how we feel about our life (our emotions, moods, and affective responses).

A person who is satisfied with their life and who experiences more pleasant emotions than unpleasant ones enjoys a higher level of subjective well-being.

Why Subjective Well-Being Matters

Feeling good is not only pleasant — it also has profound effects on many areas of life. Research consistently shows that people with higher levels of subjective well-being tend to:

• perform better at work,

• be more sociable and have more mutually satisfying relationships,

• show greater cooperation and empathy,

• have stronger immune systems,

• enjoy better overall health,

• live longer,

• sleep better,

• experience less burnout, and

• have greater self-control and resilience in coping with stress.

In Essence

Subjective well-being is not about how much we have — it’s about how we feel about the life we live. It reflects a balance between how we think about our life and how we experience it emotionally.

Read more:

What is Positive Psychology

Why Did Positive Psychology Emerge

When Did Positive Psychology Emerge

The Myth of Constant Happiness

The Foundations of Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology and Positive Education

Subjective well-being (SWB) is the personal sense that life is going well. #793teaching #growhumans

© dr. Kristijan Musek Lešnik & GrowHumans.

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