Questioning the 'subjective well-being' concept: Distinguishing wellbeing and happiness

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Economics
• Psychology

Background:

• The prevailing concept of "subjective well-being" conflates distinct measures of satisfaction.
• Existing frameworks fail to differentiate between wellbeing and happiness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate the "subjective well-being" concept.
• To propose and defend the distinction between wellbeing and happiness as separate metrics.
• To demonstrate that these two concepts cannot be amalgamated.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the social welfare function (SWF) to accommodate altruism and caring.
• Examination of altruism as an act related to wellbeing.
• Examination of caring (love) as an act related to happiness.

Main Results:

• Altruism and caring are distinct prosocial acts.
• The social welfare function accommodates neither altruism nor caring for different reasons, highlighting their distinct natures.
• Wellbeing and happiness measure different quantities of satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• The "subjective well-being" concept is flawed as it eliminates the crucial difference between wellbeing and happiness.
• Wellbeing and happiness should be treated as separate gauges of satisfaction.
• Policy and research should acknowledge the distinct nature of wellbeing and happiness.