Beyond Trends: A Psychologically Proven Five-Step Wellness Guide

The wellness movement is often seen as the answer to our overworked and stressed-out lives. However, psychological research suggests that focusing on superficial aspects like candles, juice cleanses, and a good vibes-only mentality is unlikely to bring about lasting changes in well-being.

The wellness culture, particularly popular among women and young people, has burgeoned into a US 4.4 trillion-dollar industry. It promises that clean beauty products, healthy eating, and energy-boosting supplements will lead to happiness, meaning, and a stress-free existence. Yet, if wellness could be bought, why aren't we all happier?

While purchases may offer temporary happiness, true changes to well-being are more elusive. Critics argue that wellness culture can promote destructive perfectionism, and unhealthy body relationships, and even draw people into conspiracy theories and multi-level marketing scams.

Wellness culture often focuses on individual comfort, providing only a superficial experience of well-being. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a founder of the positive psychology movement, stated in his 1991 book Flow that true happiness comes from being fully engaged in every detail of our lives, good or bad.

Psychological research indicates that long-term well-being results from pursuing both pleasure and meaning. Martin Seligman's PERMA model offers a structured approach to achieving this. PERMA, an acronym for Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement, outlines five pillars essential for well-being.

A 2016 study of 1,624 participants found that interventions based on the PERMA model increased happiness and reduced depression symptoms, especially for those with moderate levels of well-being. Other studies have shown that PERMA-based interventions improve the emotional states of university students, lung cancer patients, and breast cancer patients, and decrease anxiety across different contexts, ages, and cultures.

PERMA suggests that instead of spending money on self-care, we should focus on meeting our fundamental psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Here's how the five pillars of PERMA can guide effective wellness practices:

1. Positive Emotions
Experiencing positive emotions enhances our psychological creativity and resilience. Cultivating a variety of positive emotions can create an upward spiral of well-being. For instance, practising gratitude by listing three good things that happened each day can boost positive feelings. Engaging with nature, even in simple ways like star-gazing or observing plants during a walk, can also enhance positive emotions.

2. Engagement
Finding activities that induce a state of flow-deep engagement where time seems to disappear-can significantly boost well-being. Activities that challenge us just enough, such as music, sports, or gaming, can help us achieve this state.

3. Relationships
The quality of relationships matters more than quantity. Building connections with people who celebrate your successes and avoid those who belittle them can enhance your well-being. Personal connections are vital and form a core component in most well-being theories.

4. Meaning
Connecting with something larger than oneself, such as through volunteering, joining community groups, or performing random acts of kindness, can provide a sense of purpose. Setting goals based on a vision of your best possible future self can also foster meaning.

5. Achievement
Pursuing challenging activities that stretch your abilities can lead to a sense of achievement. Identifying and using personal strengths, such as perseverance, can help in overcoming life's challenges. True positivity involves rising to these challenges, not just feeling good.

The PERMA pillars are interrelated and can collectively enhance well-being. For example, taking up dancing can foster positive emotions and flow, while also providing social connections that lead to a sense of purpose and achievement. By integrating these elements into our lives, we can move beyond superficial wellness practices to achieve lasting well-being.