IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v288y2021ics0277953620303178.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The toxic effects of subjective wellbeing and potential tonics

Author

Listed:
  • Atkinson, Sarah

Abstract

The paper offers a provocation to the geographies of health in relation to one of our governing concepts, that of wellbeing. The paper brings together government survey data from the United Kingdom with other published research into a critical argument that the dominant ways of conceptualising and practising subjective wellbeing have become toxic and harmful to wellbeing outcomes. The paper argues that a ‘hyper-individualised and thwarted self’ and ‘supermarket model’ of social resources for individual wellbeing underpins the contemporary dominant understanding of subjective wellbeing. This approach neglects wider spatial and temporal considerations such as inequality, inter-generationality and sustainability, and the rise of wellbeing as a technology of soft capitalism. The paper discusses the potential for relational approaches from the social sciences to provide a more ‘wholesome tonic’ to current understandings of subjective wellbeing that might rehabilitate its capability to do helpful rather than harmful work and argues for an ethical obligation to sustain critical engagement.

Suggested Citation

  • Atkinson, Sarah, 2021. "The toxic effects of subjective wellbeing and potential tonics," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:288:y:2021:i:c:s0277953620303178
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113098
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953620303178
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113098?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nattavudh Powdthavee & Anke C. Plagnol & Paul Frijters & Andrew E. Clark, 2019. "Who Got the Brexit Blues? The Effect of Brexit on Subjective Wellbeing in the UK," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 86(343), pages 471-494, July.
    2. Kangmennaang, Joseph & Elliott, Susan J., 2018. "Towards an integrated framework for understanding the links between inequalities and wellbeing of places in low and middle income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 45-53.
    3. Susanne C. Moser, 2020. "The work after “It's too late” (to prevent dangerous climate change)," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(1), January.
    4. Sarah L. Bell & Michael Westley & Rebecca Lovell & Benedict W. Wheeler, 2018. "Everyday green space and experienced well-being: the significance of wildlife encounters," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 8-19, January.
    5. Power, Andrew & Bell, Sarah L. & Kyle, Richard G. & Andrews, Gavin J., 2019. "‘Hopeful adaptation’ in health geographies: Seeking health and wellbeing in times of adversity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 1-5.
    6. Jamie R. Pearce, 2018. "Complexity and Uncertainty in Geography of Health Research: Incorporating Life-Course Perspectives," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 108(6), pages 1491-1498, November.
    7. Satariano, Bernadine, 2019. "Diverse socioeconomic processes influencing health and wellbeing across generations in deprived neighbourhoods in Malta," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 453-459.
    8. White, Sarah C. & Jha, Shreya, 2018. "Towards an interdisciplinary approach to wellbeing: Life histories and Self-Determination Theory in rural Zambia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 153-160.
    9. Tim Schwanen & Donggen Wang, 2014. "Well-Being, Context, and Everyday Activities in Space and Time," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 104(4), pages 833-851, July.
    10. Carol D. Ryff, 2017. "Eudaimonic well-being, inequality, and health: Recent findings and future directions," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 64(2), pages 159-178, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sarah Atkinson & Anne-Marie Bagnall & Rhiannon Corcoran & Jane South & Sarah Curtis, 2020. "Being Well Together: Individual Subjective and Community Wellbeing," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(5), pages 1903-1921, June.
    2. Soo Yon Yi & Aimee Jeehae Kim, 2023. "Implementation and Strategies of Community Music Activities for Well-Being: A Scoping Review of the Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-34, January.
    3. Dong, Han & Zhang, Jun & Cirillo, Cinzia, 2019. "Exploring, understanding, and modeling the reciprocal relation between leisure and subjective well-being," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 813-824.
    4. Mark P.C. Cherrie & Niamh K. Shortt & Catharine Ward Thompson & Ian J. Deary & Jamie R. Pearce, 2019. "Association Between the Activity Space Exposure to Parks in Childhood and Adolescence and Cognitive Aging in Later Life," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-13, February.
    5. Walter Bossert & Andrew E Clark & Conchita D’Ambrosio & Anthony Lepinteur, 2023. "Economic insecurity and political preferences," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 75(3), pages 802-825.
    6. Isabella Romano & Mark A. Ferro & Karen A. Patte & Ed Diener & Scott T. Leatherdale, 2020. "Measurement Invariance of the Flourishing Scale among a Large Sample of Canadian Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-15, October.
    7. Walter Bossert & Andrew E. Clark & Conchita d'Ambrosio & Anthony Lepinteur, 2019. "Economic Insecurity and the Rise of the Right," PSE Working Papers halshs-02325984, HAL.
    8. Leonardo Becchetti & Massimo Cermelli, 2021. "Methods, measures and policies for a generative and resilient recovery," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 75(2), pages 17-27, April-Jun.
    9. van Hugten, Joeri & el Hejazi, Zainab-Noor & Brassey, Jacqueline & Vanderstraeten, Johanna & Cannaerts, Nele & Loots, Ellen & Coreynen, Wim & van Witteloostuijn, Arjen, 2021. "What Makes Entrepreneurs Happy? Psychological Flexibility and Entrepreneurs' Satisfaction," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 16(C).
    10. Susan der Kinderen & Amber Valk & Svetlana N. Khapova & Maria Tims, 2020. "Facilitating Eudaimonic Well-Being in Mental Health Care Organizations: The Role of Servant Leadership and Workplace Civility Climate," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-17, February.
    11. Annie Tubadji & Thomas Colwill & Don Webber, 2021. "Voting with your feet or voting for Brexit: The tale of those stuck behind," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(2), pages 247-277, April.
    12. Tianlu Qian & Zheng Fu & Jie Chen & Shujie Qin & Changbai Xi & Jiechen Wang, 2023. "Evaluating multiscale and multimodal transport inequalities in Chinese cities with massive open-source path data," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 237-264, April.
    13. Wang, Fenglong & Mao, Zidan & Wang, Donggen, 2020. "Residential relocation and travel satisfaction change: An empirical study in Beijing, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 341-353.
    14. Ewa Kupcewicz, 2022. "Global Self-Esteem and Stress Intensity in a Group of Polish Nurses—A Mediatory Role of a Sense of Coherence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-15, January.
    15. Veljko Jovanović & Maksim Rudnev & Gökmen Arslan & Carmen Buzea & Radosveta Dimitrova & Vanesa Góngora & Tharina Guse & Rainbow T. H. Ho & Naved Iqbal & Szilvia Jámbori & Fang-Hua Jhang & Goda Kaniušo, 2022. "The Satisfaction with Life Scale in Adolescent Samples: Measurement Invariance across 24 Countries and Regions, Age, and Gender," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(4), pages 2139-2161, August.
    16. Swati Dhingra & Thomas Sampson, 2022. "Expecting Brexit," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 14(1), pages 495-519, August.
    17. Elisabeth Eide & Risto Kunelius, 2021. "Voices of a generation the communicative power of youth activism," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 1-20, November.
    18. Rienzo, Cinzia, 2020. "Trick or treat? The Brexit effect on immigrants’ wellbeing in the UK," GLO Discussion Paper Series 586, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    19. Gu, Naeun, 2020. "The effects of neighborhood social ties and networks on mental health and well-being: A qualitative case study of women residents in a middle-class Korean urban neighborhood," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    20. Lingling Su & Suhong Zhou, 2022. "Long-Term Residential Environment Exposure and Subjective Wellbeing in Later Life in Guangzhou, China: Moderated by Residential Mobility History," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-18, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:288:y:2021:i:c:s0277953620303178. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.