A Review of Western and Eastern Traditional Views of Well-Being

This paper reviews traditional understanding of well-being from both Western and Eastern cultural perspectives.First, two distinct Western traditions in defining well-being are compared, namely hedonic and eudaemonic approaches.The hedonic approach defines happiness as the maximization of pleasure, while the eudaemonic approach regards happiness as the fulfillment of a person's natural needs and overall flourishing.Second, the views of well-being in lens of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in the East are reviewed.The common and different understandings of well-being between Western and Eastern traditions are discussed as followed.Finally, two well-known operationalized definitions of well-being, that is subjective well-being and psychological well-being, proposed in the roots of Western traditions are elucidated. Keywords: well-being, hedonism, eudaemonism, subjective well-being, psychological well-beingThe origin of well-being thoughts traces back to people's philosophical thinking about happiness and "the good life" in ancient Greece (Diener, 2009;Eid & Larsen, 2008).The existence of two distinct Western traditions in defining well-being, namely the hedonic and eudaemonic approaches, has been widely acknowledged (Phillips, 2006;Ryan & Deci, 2001).Moreover, two prevalent operationalized definitions of well-being: subjective well-being and psychological well-being, have been proposed in the roots of Western traditions (Rees, 2017;Ryan & Deci, 2001).This paper aims to elucidate the traditional perspectives on well-being in both Western and Eastern cultures, while expounding two common operationalized definitions of well-being. Western Traditional Views of Well-being Eudaemonic Views of Well-beingEudaimonism can be traced back to ancient Greece.Aristotle (384-322 BC) initially employed the term "eudaimonia" as a substitute for "the good" (happiness).In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle points out that "being happy" means "living well" and "doing well" (1999, p. 5).He also claims that different people hold different views on the significance of "the good" (Aristotle, 1999, p. 5).To be more specific, some individuals associate the concept of "good" with wealth, honor, and pleasure, whilst others prioritize good health.