Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2026

An Application for Pairing with Wearable Devices to Monitor Personal Health Status
Published on: February 3, 2022
Positive health: connecting well-being with biology
Carol D Ryff1, Burton H Singer, Gayle Dienberg Love
1Institute on Aging, 2245 Medical Science Center, 1300 University Avenue, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA. cryff@wisc.edu
Abstract:
Two key types of well-being, eudaimonic and hedonic, are reviewed. The first addresses ideas of self-development, personal growth and purposeful engagement, while the second is concerned with positive feelings such as happiness and contentment. How well-being varies by age and socio-economic standing is briefly summarized, followed by examination of its biological correlates (neuroendocrine, immune, cardiovascular, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep). Preliminary findings on a sample of ageing women showed that those with higher levels of eudaimonic well-being had lower levels of daily salivary cortisol, pro-inflammatory cytokines, cardiovascular risk, and longer duration REM sleep compared with those showing lower levels of eudaimonic well-being. Hedonic well-being, however, showed minimal linkage to biomarker assessments. Future research directions building on these initial findings are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Concepts of Health and Illness
Social Relationships and Well-Being
Introduction to Biological Bases of Psychology
The nervous system, the cornerstone of...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results from...
Dimensions of Health and Illness
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...