Wellbeing and sustainable living

Above a certain minimum amount of income and/or capital, non-monetary factors such as relationships, social support, engaging work, control over one’s activities and a sense of meaning appear more central to a sense of well-being than increasing pecuniary advantage. This is fortunate in a world where sustainable development is now an imperative in the face of climate change, a steadily climbing population and limited resources. The study of well-being should help social scientists, policy makers and others move in a direction designed to enhance satisfaction levels and more sustainable modes of living. The recent lowering level of satisfaction at work and increasing rates of depression suggest social change is needed. However given temperament provides a good predictor of long-term levels of well-being, psychological factors are clearly important. There is evidence that different strategies are needed to effect an improvement in well-being in different people (Fordyce 1983, Henry 2006.