Understanding Human Behavior: Well-being

Understanding Human Behavior

• Well-being is a positive outcome that is meaningful for people and society, which tells us that people perceive their lives as going well.
• At its core, well-being has to do with the quality of our life as we perceive it.

Well-being and its Associations

• Well-being is associated with numerous benefits, including:
  • Better health, longevity, and healthy behaviors
  • Mental and physical health
  • Self-perceived health
  • Social connectedness
  • Productivity
• Higher levels of well-being are associated with:
  • Decreased risk of disease, illness, and injury
  • Better immune function
  • Speedier recovery

Why Well-being is Important

• Well-being can lead to:
  • Lower healthcare costs for society as a whole
  • Stronger communities
  • Better social cohesion
  • A higher overall happiness index

Human Behavior

• Human behavior is the potential and expressed capacity of human individuals or groups to respond to internal and external stimuli throughout their life.
• Human behavior is studied by social sciences, including psychology and sociology.
• Human behavior has three core components:
  • Perception of external stimuli
  • Interpretation of those stimuli
  • Response to that interpretation

Invisible Aspects of Human Behavior

• Human behavior is not always visible or easily observable, including:
  • Thoughts and cognitive processes
  • Emotions
  • Motivations and intentions
  • Personality traits

Understanding Human Behavior

• Well-being is a positive outcome that is meaningful for people and society, encompassing global judgments of life satisfaction, health, and engagement with life.

What Is Well-Being?

• Well-being is associated with the quality of life as perceived by individuals.
• It includes subjective well-being, happiness, and the quality of life ladder.

Importance of Well-Being

• Well-being is linked to numerous health, job, family, and economically-related benefits.
• Higher levels of well-being are associated with:
  • Decreased risk of disease, illness, and injury
  • Better immune function
  • Speedier recovery
  • Social connectedness
  • Productivity
• At the societal level, better well-being leads to:
  • Lower healthcare costs
  • Stronger communities
  • Better social cohesion
  • Higher overall happiness index

Human Behavior

• Human behavior is the potential and expressed capacity of individuals or groups to respond to internal and external stimuli throughout their life.
• It is studied by the social sciences, including psychology and sociology.
• Human behavior includes:
  • Manner of conducting oneself in external relations of life
  • Response to various stimuli or inputs, internal or external, conscious or subconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary
• Human behavior is not always visible or easily observable, including:
  • Thoughts and cognitive processes
  • Emotions
  • Motivations and intentions
  • Personality traits

Components of Human Behavior

• Human behavior has three core components:
  • Perception of external stimuli
  • Interpretation of those stimuli
  • Response to that interpretation

Perceptual Illusions

• Our perception of external stimuli can be influenced by perceptual illusions.
• We respond to our interpretation of stimuli, regardless of whether it is correct or incorrect.

This quiz explores the concept of well-being, its associations with positive outcomes, and its impact on various aspects of life, including health, mental state, and social connections.