Subjective Well-Being (SWB): Mental Health and Life Satisfaction Coursework

Introduction: Subjective Well-being (SWB)

Also recognized as self-reported Well-being

Introduced by Ed Diener, a psychologist in 1984

Components entails:

• Positive Affect (PA)
• Life Satisfaction (LS)
• Negative Affect (NA)

Relationship Between SWB and Physical Health

• Physical health is influenced by the satisfaction of life and enjoyment of life
• Positive affect (PA)

Associated with Reduced pain and symptoms:

• Life satisfaction (LS)

Higher life satisfaction results in better physical health:

• Negative Affect (NA)

Stable tendency associated with the frequent experience of negative emotions

Involves poor self-concept leading to conditions such as anorexia

Creates negative attitudes, chronic stress leading skins problems and hormonal imbalance

Associated with poor health leading to weak immune system

Relationship Between SWB and Mental Health

• SWB contributes through life satisfaction, determined by mental illness
• SWB as a measure of happiness and mental health
• Entails satisfaction and dissatisfaction
• Positive subjective Well-being leads to healthier mental health

Relationship Between SWB and Work

Job satisfaction influences Subjective Well-being

Negative state of mind or poor mental health leads to a lack of interest in work

Negative Affects (NA) can lead to poor physical health and hence negatively affects work

Work affects one’s life satisfaction

Relationship Between SWB and Intelligence

Age influences both emotional intelligence and SWB

Emotional intelligence leads to higher levels of subjective Well-being

Being emotionally unstable negatively affects both SWB and intelligence

SWB may negatively influence emotional intelligence

Through emotional factors one is able to control SWB

Relationship Between SWB and Race, Ethnicity

Whites report higher levels of SBW than the blacks

With the shifting racial inequality patterns

Individuals from ethnic groups considered inferior have low SWB

Relationship Between SWB and Stigma

• Stigmatization leads to low SWB
• Social support lows the degree that stigma has on SWB
• States that influence SWB include:
  • Body size
  • Type of disease
  • How individuals who are incompetent are treated

Relationship Between SWB and Religion

Religiosity and spirituality is recognized as a positive predictor of SWB (Villani et al., 2019)

Experience of closeness to the supreme being tends to positively affect SWB

Negative SWB results can be contributed by unstable religiosity

Conclusion

SWB is affected by both physical health, religious, work, stigma and race

Increased emotional intelligence leads to increased SWB

Increased rate of stigmatization results into low self satisfaction

Poor working conditions or nature of work leads to low SWB

Individuals who experience high racial disparity or racism are likely to be dissatisfied

References

Lombardo, P., Jones, W., Wang, L., Shen, X., & Goldner, E. M. (2018). The fundamental association between mental health and life satisfaction: results from successive waves of a Canadian national survey.BMC Public Health, 18(1), 1-9. Web.

Patel, J., & Patel, P. (2019).Consequences of repression of emotion: Physical health, mental health, and general well being. International Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research, 1(3), 16. Web.

Villani, D., Sorgente, A., Iannello, P., & Antonietti, A. (2019).The role of spirituality and religiosity in subjective well-being of individuals with different religious status. Frontiers in Psychology, (10), 1525. Web.