Wellbeing as a universal human concern

This book is about human wellbeing, perhaps one of the most widely examined topics in history. If you questioned people about what is ultimately most important in their lives, the great majority would land on ideas to do with wellbeing such as being happy or content, having good health, making a positive difference in the world, or taking care of family. Speaking to these universal human interests, scholars over centuries in diverse fields such as philosophy, politics, medicine, education, economics, religion, development studies and psychology have theorised, researched, and written about wellbeing (Tiberius, 2014; Huppert & Ruggeri, 2018). Indigenous peoples’ philosophies of human nature and our place in the world also commonly place wellbeing at the centre of concern (Gee et al, 2014) and show that intellectual inquiry into wellbeing has been with us far longer than the period of so-called ‘recorded’ history. While Western thinkers tend to see wellbeing as a property of individuals, Indigenous philosophies commonly understand it in terms of interrelatedness between individual, community, culture, and the natural world (Durie, 2005; Tynan, 2021; Mackean, Shakespeare, & Fisher, 2022).

Today, scholarly work and debate on wellbeing – conceived and studied in a wide variety of ways – continues apace. And those voices are joined by an ever-growing chorus of self-appointed wellbeing gurus, influencers, and lifestyle ‘experts’.

Universal interests in wellbeing are also reflected in the defining principles of major international institutions such as the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (World Health Organization, 1948, p 1). The UN Declaration of Human Rights says that ‘Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself [sic] and of his family’ (United Nations General Assembly, 1948, p 1). The UN Development Program says that, while processes of economic development may have value, ultimately ‘the end of development must be human well-being’ (United Nations Development Programme, 1990, p 10). The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) framework for measuring wellbeing expresses a similar view, saying that ‘Societal progress is about improvements in the well-being of people and households’ (Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development, 2022).