A hierarchical framework for the measurement of well-being

Several decades of research on well-being has resulted in a plethora of measurement models created by psychological scientists. In this review, we synthesize literature on the measurement of well-being and present a hierarchical framework that organizes multiple existing models. We detail the theoretical rationale and empirical evidence behind four hierarchical levels of our framework: general well-being, well-being lenses (e.g., subjective well-being), well-being contents (e.g., affects), and well-being characteristics (e.g., positive affect). We also propose a bottom, fifth level of well-being nuances for future research at the most granular level. We discuss various approaches to distinguishing between predictors of well-being and well-being itself (i.e., preventing tautologies) and how they fit into our framework. Measurement properties of the well-being framework are explored through comparisons to other major hierarchical structures of intelligence and psychopathology in psychological science.