Frontiers in Psychology Publication
Title: Brain Imaging studies of Emotional Well-Being: a Scoping Review
Abstract: This scoping review provides an overview of previous empirical studies that used brain imaging techniques to investigate the neural correlates of emotional well-being (EWB). We compiled evidence on this topic into one accessible and usable document as a foundation for future research into the relationship between EWB and the brain. PRISMA 2020 guidelines were followed. We located
relevant articles by searching five electronic databases with 95 studies meeting our inclusion criteria. We explored EWB measures, brain imaging modalities, research designs, populations studied, and approaches that are currently in use to characterize and understand EWB across the literature. Of the key concepts related to EWB, the vast majority of studies investigated positive affect and life satisfaction, followed by sense of meaning, goal pursuit, and quality of life. The majority of studies used functional MRI, followed by EEG and eventrelated potential-based EEG to study the neural basis of EWB (predominantly experienced affect, affective perception, reward, and emotion regulation). It is notable that positive affect and life satisfaction have been studied significantly more often than the other three aspects of EWB (i.e., sense of meaning, goal pursuit, and quality of life). Our findings suggest that future studies should investigate EWB in more diverse samples, especially in children, individuals with clinical disorders, and individuals from various geographic locations. Future directions and theoretical implications are discussed, including the need for more longitudinal studies with ecologically valid measures that incorporate multi-level approaches allowing researchers to better investigate and evaluate the relationships among behavioral, environmental, and neural factors
Citation: Richter CG, Li CM, Turnbull A, Haft SL, Schneider D, Luo J, Lima DP, Lin FV, Davidson RJ and Hoeft F (2024) Brain imaging studies of emotional well-being: a scoping review. Front. Psychol. 14:1328523. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1328523
BMJ Open Publication
Title: Measuring emotional well-being through subjective report: a scoping review of reviews
Abstract: This scoping review of reviews aims to describe the current landscape of measures of emotional well-being (EWB).
Citation: Koslouski, J.B., Wilson-Mendenhall, C.D., Parsafar, P., Goldberg, S., Martin, M.Y., Chafouleas, S.M. (in press), Measuring emotional well-being through subjective report: a scoping review of reviews. BMJ Open.
Affective Science Publication
Title Emotional well-being: What it is and why it matters
Abstract: Psychological aspects of well-being are increasingly recognized and studied as fundamental components of healthy human functioning. However, this body of work is fragmented, with many different conceptualizations and terms being used (e.g., subjective well-being, psychological well-being). We describe the development of a provisional conceptualization of this form of well-being, here termed emotional well-being (EWB), leveraging prior conceptual and theoretical approaches. Our developmental process included review of related concepts and definitions from multiple disciplines, engagement with subject matter experts, consideration of essential properties across definitions, and concept mapping. Our conceptualization provides insight into key strengths and gaps in existing perspectives on this form of well-being, setting a foundation for evaluating assessment approaches, enhancing our understanding of the causes and consequences of EWB, and, ultimately, developing effective intervention strategies that promote EWB. We argue that this foundation is essential for developing a more cohesive and informative body of work on EWB.
Citation: Park, C. L., Kubzansky, L. D., Chafouleas, S. M., Davidson, R. J.,Keltner, D., Parsafar, P., Conwell, Y., Martin, M. Y., Hanmer, J.,& Wang, K. H. (in press). Emotional well-being: What it is and why it matters. Affective Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-022-00163-0 PMC Journal - In Process
Technical Report on Working Definition from APS 2022
Emotional well-being (EWB) is an essential concept of healthy human functioning. Due to its varied use, however, EWB is difficult to define and integrate across disciplines. This technical report presents the thoughts and opinions of psychologists surveyed at the Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention on the working definition of EWB created by the U24 EWB Research Network.