Stanford WELL for Life: Learning What It Means to Be Well
Aspiring to a college level of wellness? We recently spoke with Catherine Heaney, PhD, associate professor of psychology and of medicine with the Stanford Prevention Inquiry Heart, nearly her enquiry into what it actually means to be well.
The term "wellness" has become and so broad that information technology tin lack meaning. Every bit we continue to try to define wellness, can you tell us what it actually means to be well?
We take spent a lot of time trying to understand that! In our initiative, chosen WELL, the Wellness Living Laboratory, we are conducting a study of more than 30,000 people over many years to identify what factors help people maintain health and wellness. Nosotros then program to develop techniques to help people to improve their overall well-being. During the offset five years, 30,000 participants — 10,000 each in China, Taiwan and the U.s.a. — will supply personal health information ranging from full general wellness and lifestyle data to genetic and other biological markers.
In my group's interviews of more than 100 people from different indigenous backgrounds in Santa Clara Canton, we asked them near times in their lives of particularly high and low levels of well-existence; then, nosotros coded their responses to discern their meaning. The ten domains of well-being most ofttimes mentioned were: social connexion, lifestyle behaviors, stress and resilience, emotional health, physical health, meaning and purpose, sense of cocky, finances, spirituality or religiosity, and exploration and creativity.
Were you lot surprised that social networks were cited as the largest driver of health?
It was surprising… but at present, with retrospect, we feel that, "Ah, of course that is what we would find." People talked virtually about the extent to which they were well-integrated into the social fabric of their community — with their loved ones, their family and friends.
What was really interesting: While their social connectedness added to their overall well-being, information technology also detracted from their overall well-being. Relationships offering support, comfort, belonging — all the of import human needs; but, they also represent criticism, responsibility and burdens. And when a loved one or important person in i's social network is not doing well, that can accept a negative impact on one's own well-being.
Were there any other surprises?
I was a little surprised past how infrequently people talked virtually illness. Equally the World Health Organization explained when information technology defined health, it'south not simply most the absenteeism or presence of illness or disease; rather, health reflects overall physical, mental and social functioning. But in the medical field, many however call back nigh wellness in terms of existence free of illness or, conversely, having a illness or disorder. However, when nosotros talked to people with very serious medical issues, such as cancer or heart disease, they rarely talked well-nigh information technology. Their sense of well-existence concerned "How tin I be well while I take cancer?" as opposed to, "I have cancer then I tin can't actually exist well."
The medical field has begun to embrace this very different perspective, specially with certain chronic illnesses, such equally diabetes. People are not walking around with diabetes saying, "Well, now that I have diabetes, I can't really be well." We now empathise that diabetes is an affliction which you tin manage, and you can still cheque in with the other domains of wellness in your life — your sense of purpose, maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, etc.
So, anybody has a chance to be well — not just the physically healthy …
Exactly.
Is wellness the same for anybody?
We are still doing the analysis, and then this is preliminary, but we are finding that at that place are clusters of people for whom sure domains are more important than others. My guess is that we are going to see differences across the life course. For example, when nosotros talk with young adults in their 20s, they talk a great deal about trying to notice themselves, well-nigh their sense of self: "Who am I and what is my purpose and meaning?" Conversely, when we talk with older adults, they are no longer searching. They talk about decisions they've made and life satisfaction. They talk much more well-nigh positive, rather than negative, emotions. Resilience seems more significant than stress. They've had much more life experience, which has showed them that they can come up out the other side. Many have even experienced tragedy; thus, they have a different experience of being well.
At that place may be real cultural differences in terms of these domains. Nosotros should have a amend agreement of that in the side by side three-6 months.
A modified version of this piece originally appeared on the BeWell @ Stanford website.
Previously: "It'south an effort to change the globe of medicine and health": WELL for Life launches today and Plumbing the well of wellness
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Source: https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2017/06/19/what-does-it-mean-to-be-well/
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