The Conceptions of Quality of Life, Wellness and Well-Being: A Literature Review

Abstract

In the last few years, a growing body of research has been interested in wellness, quality of life, and well-being issues. Furthermore, institutions, governments, and policymakers start to introduce numerous physical and mental well-being programs, whereas scholars interested in well-being research use different indicators to evaluate them. Although these terms are popular in the scientific debate, they are variously interpreted and at the conceptual level do not have a standard definition. This disagreement is particularly relevant when considering the questions related to their measurement and application in empirical research. This review explores the main theoretical conceptions of quality of life, wellness and subjective well-being in the current scientific literature.