Evolution of wellbeing: Ramesh Shrestha

The idea of wellbeing

Psychologists define wellbeing as a combination of self-feeling good and functioning well with positive emotions such as happiness and control over one's life. It implicitly embraces physical and spiritual wellbeing. Psychologists have linked individual wellbeing to success at professional performance, good interpersonal relationships, positive social behaviors, good health and personal happiness. The United Nations defines wellbeing as 'a process of enlarging people's choices, enjoying a healthy life, acquiring knowledge and achieving a decent standard of living' (Human Development Report 1990). During our grandparents' times the key ingredients for wellbeing are access to basic necessities for life such as food, a roof over head, good health, positive relationships with kith and kins, and financial security for daily needs and some savings in case of emergencies. It is a summary of simplicity.

During the second half of the 20th century all the empires fell with the emergence of new nations with expanded democracy and human rights. There was also serious technological transformation in all fields including the mass media and cyber technology. These changes have profound effects on our economy, lifestyle and societal structure, some for good some not so good. These changes contributed to continuous improvement in the living standard of people almost everywhere, enhancing the wellbeing of people. Since the early 21st century there are other intrusive factors that influenced individual and societal wellbeing such as globalization of everything, negative impacts of climate change, cyberwarfare, income inequality, biotechnology and the recent entry of artificial intelligence to name a few.

The notion of individual and societal wellbeing enjoyed by our parents and grandparents in the early or mid-20th century now seems like ancient history. Will the criteria of wellbeing be defined differently by the future generations, say our grandchildren? What will make people of the next generation feel happy and positive? Will the psychologists have to revise or at least update the definition of wellbeing keeping in mind the changing criteria of wellbeing?

People's life experience

Based on recent history books we learn that life experience of older generations was based on simple living who were content with basic necessities. Their idea of wellbeing was rooted in family & kinship, social relations and being a meaningful member of the local community and fearing God. It corresponds to the concept we learn in social studies in high school 'man is a social animal'. They have friends, close contacts with relatives and there are community groups ready to assist people in need. It is not an ancient history; it is just two or three generations ago. Are we able to reiterate this concept of individual and societal wellbeing today? Vaguely.

The idea of wellbeing perceived by people today is enamoured with the sense of freedom and individual rights. Individual freedom and rights are not the problem in itself. Most people have become super self-confident with their rights, which is good but have little respect for the rights of others and almost defiant against their obligation and responsibility to the society, to nature and even to family. Many people are drifting away from society and have become inward looking making them lonely, which could weaken them emotionally. These symptoms are not signs of societal wellbeing. People may enjoy physical wellbeing with a healthy lifestyle but it is equally important for people to enjoy emotional wellbeing, which seems not to be the case among many, especially the youth. There are notable cases of drug abuse, depression, alcohol abuse and homelessness especially in urban centers. These cannot be the criteria of freedom or wellbeing.

Technology and wellbeing

Modern technology applied in agriculture, medicine, finance, transportation, etc. helped human beings immensely in all round development contributing to human welfare. But the application of technology in the entertainment industry and social media has however a different impact on human behaviour, which was not perhaps predicted. As people start to engage in social media it may seem like fun with a variety of entertainments and games including online gambling but it has provoked an addictive behaviour among people of all ages. It is not uncommon to see people scrolling on their mobile phones during red-light traffic stops – not just messaging or chatting but actually playing games, while crossing streets, while having dinner, etc.

The adverts one sees on the media make people want to emulate the same habits and even want to change physical body structure. There are also very intrusive messages and visuals which could impact the emotional health of people leading to negative thoughts. Failures to achieve those dreams could lead people to depression and anxiety, especially the teens and youth. The amount of time people spends scrolling the screens in the virtual world is the time people lose in actually socialising with family and friends in the real world. Children are exposed to this technology from a very early age, including preschool age. How will it impact them emotionally as they grow up? There have been some studies showing negative outcomes but such studies have been ignored.

The speed of automation has impacted job markets too. Jobs performed by semiskilled and to a certain extent even skilled people have been lost to robots. The idea of automation is to gain efficiency and generate more profit and avoid dealing with people who may demand increased pay, sick leave, maternity leave, etc. While some people who lost jobs can be 'retooled' for new skills (as coined by modern management Gurus) there are many who remain unemployed, living on government handouts. Continued increase in the number of clients at food banks is a testimony of degenerating employment linked to automation. There has not been a significant study on the impact of automation on employment loss; perhaps there will never be. People don't like to use food banks and depend on handouts but they are compelled to. Given the fact that population growth may not stabilise till 2086 the employment of semi-skilled people may continue to grow as new cohorts enter job markets.

Future of wellbeing

We live in a society of consumerism where even the wellbeing of people has been monetised. According to Wellness Institute the global value of wellness business amounts to $4.2 trillion in 2019 which grew twice as fast as the global economy. According to the World Health Organisation about 13% of the world population are suffering from some kind of mental disorder directly impacting the overall wellbeing of people. This figure is 12% among 10-19years old children; how will these children grow up emotionally (World Government Summit, 2023)?

Among the younger generation, surrounded by social media, people are judged by their lifestyle more than by their integrity and intellect. Barring people living in rural areas, people have abandoned the basic constituents of wellbeing cherished by our grandparents. The negative feeling of wellbeing felt by many are due to competitive living not matched by income, and psychological and emotional drain caused by mind bending technology. This problem cannot be solved by wellness programmes designed by wellness Guru, which include exercise regime, changing food habits (if one can afford) and even trying cannabis oil to calm our nerves. There are software built in our smart devices to monitor health. These are okay but our basic wellbeing problem is lack of social and emotional stability linked with competitive living, cost of living not matched by income and many other personal conditions which may not be solved by technology. The idea of wellbeing has become a business rather than an emotional and psychological issue. Can this problem be fixed?

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