Antiaging Dock: Evaluation of Well-Being

The term “well-being” is often heard recently, but it has already been used in the definition of health in the WHO Charter of 1946. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This is a profound concept that goes beyond medical care and health, stating that health is not the opposite of illness or weakness, but is physical, mental, and social well-being. Psychologically, Diener has defined subjective well-being and psychological well-being. Subjective well-being is the basis of human pleasure-seeking from sensory pleasures, joys, and fun, derived from the fulfillment of pleasurable desires. On the other hand, psychological well-being is a sense of happiness derived from the fulfillment of joys and fun other than sensory fulfillment, such as self-realization and purpose in life. In the Greek era, Aristotle defined the former as hedonia and the latter as eudaimonia. Positive psychology demonstrates the effects of improving mental health through such well-being, and includes it in positive psychosocial factors (PPSFs). Positive psychology was proposed by Seligman [1], and its effectiveness has been demonstrated using experimental psychology for specific methods. It is based on the well-being theory of PERMA, as shown in Fig. 145.1. PERMA stands for P positive emotion, E engagement (active involvement, flow), R relationships (relationships, human connections), M meaning (meaning of life), and A achievement (sense of goal achievement).