The Science of Wellbeing

The science of wellbeing is a popular area of research currently. The World Health Organisation defines wellbeing ‘as the absence of disease and reduced physical functioning, and the presence of positive physical, mental and psychosocial states of being’. However, it is not in defining wellbeing that the interest of scientists lies, it is in efficiently and effectively measuring wellbeing on a large-scale, to then inform the implementation of wellbeing strategies – after you all, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. This is exactly what the Better Being Wellbeing Index offers. 

Whether you’re returning to the office for the start of the new year, beginning a new quarter or finishing off a long-term project with your team, the Wellbeing Index is the perfect tool to subjectively measure your organisations wellbeing. Developed by our industry leading experts, through a series of 20 scientifically based questions, broken down into four key themes - movement, mindset, nutrition and recovery, the Wellbeing Index effectively measures the wellbeing of your organisation in a matter of minutes, providing valuable employee wellbeing statistics.  

Mindset  

The Mindset assessment of the Wellbeing Index consists of five key themes: 

• Social Wellbeing 
• Emotional Wellbeing 
• Work-life Balance 
• Health Prioritisation 
• Energy Levels 

The mindset of an individual is arguably the most important pillar of performance for wellbeing. In her TED talk, Dr Alia Crum discusses examples of how health and wellbeing are affected by mindset, in particular how beliefs and attitudes effect biology and change how the body responds. The set of beliefs, attitudes and assumptions an individual develops have a direct effect on how an individual behaves day to day, and more specifically, how they choose to approach wellbeing. By assessing the themes outlined above, the Wellbeing Index addresses key areas outlined in research such as social connection, mental health, workplace stress and mental fatigue, which are directly linked to the wellbeing of individuals.  

Movement 

The three themes assessed in the Movement section of the Wellbeing Index are included in alignment with the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines to improve physical wellbeing and the cognitive benefits associated. The themes assessed were:  

• Sedentary Behaviour 
• Structured Exercise  
• Musculoskeletal Pain  

Movement has been highlighted within research as an integral part of physical and mental wellbeing, and on all-cause mortality (Department of Health, 2012). While the overarching theme of the Movement section assesses an individual’s volume of physical activity, we believed it was also important to assess the sedentary behaviours and musculoskeletal pain of individuals due to their direct correlation to all-cause mortality and likelihood to continue exercise.  

Nutrition  

Themes included within the Nutrition section of the Wellbeing Index are focused on bringing all aspects of nutrition together to improve individual wellbeing and performance in the workplace. The four themes included were:  

• Fluid Consumption  
• Social Influences on Eating  
• Vegetable Consumption  
• Snacking  

Nutrition habits are another key factor for any individual looking to improve their health and wellbeing. The Australian Dietary Guidelines (2013) states that “Diet is arguably the single most important behavioural risk factor that can be improved to have a significant impact on health”. While there are a variety of ways to achieve dietary patterns beneficial to health and wellbeing, we believe two of the most important by-products of this are healthy weight maintenance and sufficient nutrient and fluid consumption. Both are assessed within the Nutrition section of the Wellbeing Index, and although dietary patterns are a primary focus, the effect of nutrition on cognition and performance cannot be underestimated.  

Recovery 

Recovery is the final pillar of performance which is assessed within the Wellbeing Index in three themes:  

• Quantity of Sleep 
• Quality of Sleep  
• Time Away from Work  

As with all other themes assessed within the Wellbeing Index, recovery has been shown to effect various aspects of health and wellbeing. For example, both sleep quality and quantity are linked to cognitive performance in addition to physical conditions such as impaired function and sleepiness to longer-term chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. This section of the Wellbeing Index assesses both physical and mental recovery practices of an individual and highlights potential areas of improvement. 

When it comes to workplace wellbeing, we know that the biggest challenge your organisation faces is effectively measuring the success of a program, as well as the individual needs of your employees. We developed the Wellbeing Index to measure an individual’s wellbeing that considers both physical and psychosocial factors. Not only does the Wellbeing Index help your employees become more self-aware, but it also helps your organisation become self-aware.    

If you’re interested in finding out more about our online tool and how you can start assessing your organisations wellbeing in a simple and effective way, click here.  

References: 

World Health Organization. (2011). Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946 ; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.  

Department of Health, (2012). Development of Evidence-based Physical Activity Recommendations for Adults (18-64 years). Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/03/development-of-evidence-based-physical-activity-for-adults-18-to-64-years.pdf 

Holding, B., Ingre, M., Petrovic, P., Sundelin, T. & Axellson, J. (2021). Quantifying Cognitive Impairment After Sleep Deprivation at Different Times of Day: A Proof of Concept Using Ultra-Short Smartphone-Based Tests. Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience. [online] (15), Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.666146/full#B74  

Medic, G., Wille, M. & Hemels, M. (2017). Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nature and Science of Sleep, 9, pp. 151-161.