Understanding Well-Being through the Lens of Mattering

The only way we’re going to make it is in the company of others. We need each other. In all ways.

— Mia Birdsong

References

[1] Google Trends. (n.d.)

[2] Paradisi, M., Matera, C., & Nerini, A. (2024). Feeling important, feeling well. The association between mattering and well-being: A meta-analysis study. Journal of Happiness Studies, 25(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00720-3

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[5] Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719-727.

[6] Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

[7] Myers, J. E., Sweeney, T. J., & Witmer, J. M. (2000). The wheel of wellness counseling for wellness: A holistic model for treatment planning. Journal of Counseling and Development, 78, 251–266. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2000.tb01906.x

[8] Myers, N. D., Dietz, S., Prilleltensky, I., Prilleltensky, O., McMahon, A., Rubenstein, C. L., & Lee, S. (2018). Efficacy of the fun for wellness online intervention to promote well-being actions: a secondary data analysis. Games for Health Journal, 7(4), 225-239. https://doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2017.0132

[9] Myers, N. D., Prilleltensky, I., McMahon, A., Lee, S., Dietz, S., Prilleltensky, O., ... & Brincks, A. M. (2021). Effectiveness of the fun for wellness online behavioral intervention to promote subjective well-being in adults with obesity: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22, 1905-1923. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00301-0

[10] Prilleltensky, I., & Prilleltensky, O. (2021). How people matter: Why it affects health, happiness, love, work, and society. Cambridge University Press.

[11] Bachman, J. G., Kahn, R. L., Mednick, M. T., Davidson, T. N., & Johnston, D. L. D. (1967). Youth in Transition. Volume I: Blueprint for a nationwide longitudinal study of adolescent boys. Ann Arbor Institute for Social Research.

[12] Raque-Bogdan, T. L., Ericson, S. K., Jackson, J., Martin, H. M., & Bryan, N. A. (2011). Attachment and mental and physical health: Self-compassion and mattering as mediators. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(2), 272–278. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023041

[13] Elliott, G. C. (2009). Family matters: The importance of mattering to family in adolescence. John Wiley & Sons.

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[15] Flett, G. L., Nepon, T., Goldberg, J. O., Rose, A. L., Atkey, S. K., & Zaki-Azat, J. (2022). The anti-mattering scale: Development, psychometric properties and associations with well-being and distress measures in adolescents and emerging adults. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 40(1), 37–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/07342829211050544

What Does it Mean to be ‘Well’? Three Views on Well-being

When was the last time you felt happy? What was it that made you feel that way? For many years, psychologists have been asking themselves the same question, converting it to a research question that can be empirically tested. Concepts such as well-being and what it means to live well have prompted researchers to ask, “What are some of the factors associated with positive human functioning”? According to Google Trends in the five years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the global search trend for the word “well-being” has nearly tripled [1]. People the world over seem to be interested in learning more about what it means to be well. This trend is all the more interesting to note given that people understand ‘well-being’ in multiple ways; there exist numerous ways of defining well-being.

There could be at least three ways to conceptualize well-being: hedonic, eudaimonic, or holistic [2]. Hedonic well-being refers to a state of being characterized by two subjective internal states: (i) the frequency of positive emotions experienced across certain time points in contrast to negative emotions and (ii) the global evaluation that one feels satisfied with life. To measure this type of well-being, a researcher would usually employ measures such as the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) [3] or the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) [4] measure, with scores from these questionnaires then being used to determine whether somebody has “high” well-being.

At around the same time, well-being researchers Carol Ryff and Corey Keyes suggested an alternative way to define well-being known as eudaimonic well-being [5]. Eudaimonia comes from a Greek word that can be roughly translated as the “spirit of the good”. This type of well-being regards the extent to which someone realizes their potential. Researchers Ryan and Deci corroborated this further with their Self-Determination Theory [SDT]. According to this theory, human beings achieve a higher level of well-being following the realization of three basic needs: the needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Competence refers to mastery over a task, autonomy refers to a sense of freedom within one’s environment, and relatedness refers to attachment to other people. When these three needs are met, optimal well-being and a meaningful life can be attained [6].

The third type of well-being, holistic well-being, was initially conceived for counselling interventions. One way to think about holistic well-being is to imagine a wheel, with each spoke representing a certain area in a person’s life. According to one such model of holistic well-being, the Wheel of Wellness model of well-being is achieved if an individual can unify five different major life tasks, namely: spirituality, self-direction, work and leisure, friendship and love. Compared to the hedonic and eudaimonic models of well-being, the holistic model was seminal in two ways. First, it recognizes that the concept of wellness is not limited to just internal perceptions at the individual level, but also includes the appraisals of someone’s integration with the larger community. Second, following the introduction of this model, various models of well-being have been introduced, extending the idea that a holistic approach to well-being can be effective and applicable to non-clinical populations.

For instance, in 2018, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) on a holistic well-being model called the I COPPE (Interpersonal, Community, Occupational, Physical, Psychological and Economic) showed that participation in the intervention program promoted higher initiatives in increasing one’s physical and interpersonal wellness [8]. Furthermore, there was also evidence of an increase in self-efficacy and satisfaction in various domains of life. A secondary RCT using the same COPPE model was also conducted using a population of more than 600 individuals with obesity. Results from this study were comparable to that of the first; participants reported better physical and mental health status following the intervention program [9]. It is worth noting that according to the holistic model, social participation is an important measurable aspect of mental health. What you do in a social setting is a reflection of your internal psychological well-being. The quality of your relationships affects the quality of your well-being.

A Common Theme Across Well-being Models: Social Connections Matter

The mattering lens can offer a vantage point to better illustrate the relationship between one’s environment and one’s well-being. Common across the three well-being models is the importance of mattering - an active process of pursuing a meaningful life through balancing the needs of feeling valued and adding value within one’s social environment [10]. This concept aligns with the three types of well-being discussed above, in that well-being is stated to become fully realized when individuals can experience positive internal states (e.g. happiness, satisfaction) while becoming an active (i.e. self-determining) part of a larger social environment (e.g. community). To illustrate, an individual who might regard himself or herself highly but is not acknowledged or accepted by others cannot experience a higher sense of well-being. The mattering perspective calls upon the need to balance between feeling good about oneself (feeling valued) and also doing good for others (doing good) as a foundation for positive human functioning.

The right balance between doing good and feeling good can be readily observed in certain occupations. For instance, in countries like New Zealand, Australia, and the US, senior college students are presented with an opportunity to work as a Residential Assistant (RA). An RA is to oversee a group of freshmen who live in the campus dorm. The typical duties include helping students to transition into the university, monitoring individual student’s social and academic performances, and managing small to large collegiate events to promote community engagement. Even though being an RA requires taking on “extra” responsibilities on top of maintaining one’s academic performance, it is not uncommon for RAs to report a high sense of satisfaction. Drawing from personal experience, I (the writer) can attest to the feeling of accomplishment that comes when we receive an expression of gratitude from the students that we helped and worked with. It seems like there is a strong connection between our internal positive experiences and what we do outwardly for our community.

The empirical support for the importance of mattering to well-being has been documented over the years. In an early longitudinal study that looked into the familial environment and youth’s well-being, researchers found a positive association between self-reported happiness and the perception that one is important to one’s parents among a large group of young children [11]. In a more recent study, another group of researchers found a positive association between self-compassion and mattering [12]. The perception of being a part of a supportive and loving community seems to be closely linked with the ability to take care of oneself in times of difficulty. Similarly, sociology professor Gregory Elliott found that self-destructive behaviours are negatively linked with a sense of familial mattering; adolescents who did not feel like they matter had higher incidences of illegal substance abuse, binge drinking, and attempted suicides [13]. These studies suggest that a sense of mattering is a crucial protective factor during the key developmental periods in a person’s life.

We can also refer to studies highlighting how the lack of mattering leads to psychopathologies. When there is an imbalance in mattering, various problems might arise. Maladaptive personality traits such as hedonism, narcissism, and Machiavellianism illustrate an imbalance in mattering whereby one overemphasizes feeling good rather than doing good for others. By the same token, experiences such as emotional burnout, along with negative emotions such as resentment, anxiety, and distress can be observed when one overemphasizes doing good for others without taking some time to feel good about oneself. More and more studies are being conducted to investigate the relationship between psychopathologies and mattering further [14; 15].

Mattering is the Common Thread to Well-being

Despite the multifaceted aspects of well-being and its definitions, mattering provides an empirically informed and unifying perspective on how to re-contextualize psychological well-being to broader audiences; on why self-love and the love for others are two sides of the same coin and why it is the optimal ideal for positive human functioning. Mattering may well be the common thread that explains why it matters that we not only feel well but also do well.

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