The Epidemiology of Well-Being

Abstract

Epidemiology is a well established subdiscipline of medicine. An epidemiological perspective, which emphasizes the interaction of persons and environments and the multiple determinants of outcomes relevant to health and illness, complements the discussions of normal and disordered behavior in previous chapters. Epidemiology, like medicine, has tended to concentrate on pathology rather than health. Hence the title of this chapter might have been “The Epidemiology of Pathological Affect” or “The Epidemiology of Depression.” The chosen title and the material presented intentionally make a point: Positive affect, satisfaction with living, and a general sense of wellbeing are the prevalent states documented by epidemiological research. We will first review that evidence which stresses nonpathology, and then discuss the distribution and prevalence of pathological affect. This sequence will help to make clear the complex and varied facets of human affect. We are also deliberately focusing on only one domain of affect-the sense of well-being.