In 1967 Wilson presented a broad review of subjective well-being (SWB) research entitled, “Correlates of Avowed Happiness. ” Based on the limited data available that time, Wilson concluded that the “happy person emerges as a young, healthy, well educated, well-paid, extroverted, optimistic, worry-free, religious, married person with high self-esteem, job morale, modest aspirations of either sex and of a wide range of intelligence” (p. 294). Human beings’ striving for well-being or happiness is as ancient as human history.
Through out history philosophers considered happiness to the highest good and ultimate motivation for human action (Diener, 1984). Aristotle is considered the first major philosopher who grounded a theory of morals in happiness. According to him, every art and every inquiry, every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some goodeudaimonia, or happiness. Ebenstein (1991) observes that eudaimonia, although translated to mean happiness, is accurately characterized as the striving toward realization of one’s potential. It is something final and self-sufficient and is the end of action.
Diener (1984) observes that for decades psychologists largely ignored positive subjective well being, although human unhappiness was explored in depth. Ryff (1989) has noted that a proper understanding of the Aristotelian conception is relevant to contemporary research on well-being. John Stuart Mill in his theory of utility defines, “happiness as a state in which our inner entity is in harmony with the external world” (Ebenstein, 1991, p. 244). Therefore, human beings should be motivated and strive for the greatest happiness of all.