Subjective Well-Being: Outcomes, Personality Differences, Well-Being Boosting Interventions, and Future Directions

Research in the field of well-being has advanced considerably over the past few decades, expanding our knowledge and understanding of well-being— for example, its impact on important life outcomes, the determinants, cultural and individual differences in well-being, and interventions for enhancing well-being. This review seeks to evaluate the implications of individual differences in well-being and assess how that would impact future research directions. Starting with an examination of the outcomes of subjective well-being (SWB), the review elucidates how well-being can either be beneficial or detrimental. Next, it reviews how individual differences in SWB can manifest in multiple avenues. It then assesses how differences in emotion regulation and use of positive psychology interventions (PPIs), and differential preferences for, and utility of, SWB, in turn lead to differential effectiveness and durability of PPIs. Differences in practice and effort, and cultural values also account for differences in the PPIs’ effectiveness. Finally, the review concludes by proposing four potential areas — (1) incorporating the negative, (2) customizing PPIs, (3) pursuit of well-being, and (4) mediators and moderators, for future research and for further examining the impact of individual differences on SWB.