Positive health: connecting well–being with biology
University of Wisconsin–Madison · Princeton University
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…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 16.96
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 99
Authors
3Topics & keywords
- Eudaimonia
- Happiness
- Well-being
- Feeling
- Psychology
- Contentment
- Developmental psychology
- Biomarker