Towards a dynamic and sustainable view of happiness

Manuscript
Published: Apr 20, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/psy_hps.45284
Keywords:
well-being, culture, harmony, balance, sustainability
Antonella Delle Fave
Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milano
Abstract

The complexity of the current global situation calls for new models of mental health and well-being. The predominant Western worldview, focused on happiness as an individual goal to be attained at the highest possible level, must leave room to the conceptualization and operationalization of well-being as a multifaceted and dynamic construct, that undergoes changes according to individuals’ life stages, social roles, and cultural norms and values. The recent evidence of harmony and balance as core dimensions of happiness, at both the intrapsychic and interpersonal levels, shed light on the potential of promoting well-being as a sustainable and co-constructed process, rather than a self-centered goal. This view is especially relevant today, as it is substantially aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, aimed at counterbalancing inequalities and resource depletion derived from the maximization trend, through the promotion of a more balanced interaction of humans with their natural, social and cultural environment.

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