Relationships

This chapter outlines the second of the three meta-categories that together constitute the theory of wellbeing presented in the book. Its focus is relationships, which constitute the main way in which wellbeing is influenced. This meta-category comprises two subsidiary categories, love (i.e., close bonds with select others), and prosociality (connections with people ‘in general’). These in turn are woven together from multiple themes, identified through the analysis of untranslatable words. With love, 14 different types were identified, which were grouped into four main themes: non-personal (e.g., for objects); caring (e.g., for family members); romantic (e.g., for one’s ‘partner’); and transcendent (e.g., for a spiritual figure). With prosociality, five main themes were found: socialising and congregating; morals and ethics; compassion and kindness; interaction and communication; and communality. Together, these categories and themes cover the diverse ways in which relationships can contribute to wellbeing.

Feelings

This chapter outlines the first of the three meta-categories that together constitute the theory of wellbeing presented in the book. Its focus is feelings (encompassing not only emotions, but qualia more broadly), which constitute the main way in which wellbeing is experienced. This meta-category is formed of two subsidiary categories, positive feelings (i.e., states of pleasure) and ambivalent feelings (i.e., involving a dialectical mixture of light and dark qualities). These in turn are woven together from multiple themes, identified through the analysis of untranslatable words. The category of positive feelings comprises seven broad themes: peace and calm; contentment and satisfaction; savouring and appreciation; cosiness and homeliness; revelry and fun; joy and euphoria; and bliss and nirvāṇa. In addition, wellbeing was found to also involve a range of more ambivalent feelings, featuring five main themes: hope and anticipation; longing; pathos; appreciation of imperfection; and sensitivity to mystery. Together, these categories and themes cover the spectrum of feelings involved in wellbeing.

Development

This chapter outlines the third of the three meta-categories that together constitute the theory of wellbeing presented in the book. Its focus is personal development, which constitutes the main way in which wellbeing is cultivated. This meta-category comprises two subsidiary categories: character (e.g., flourishing and fulfilling one’s potential); and spirituality (e.g., reaching higher states and stages of development through spiritual practice). These categories in turn are woven together from multiple themes, identified through the analysis of untranslatable words. Character was found to involve five interrelated themes: virtue; considerateness; wisdom; self-determination; and skill. The inclusion of spirituality reflects the notion, found in many cultures, that to truly reach the peaks of development, it necessary to experience or cultivate some mode of spirituality. The analysis suggested this involves three key elements: the sacred (as variously conceived); contemplative practices (as a means of engaging with it); and self-transcendence (as a result of such practices). Together, these categories and themes show the ways in which wellbeing can be cultivated through processes of personal development.

Mapping Well-Being

This chapter sets out the theoretical foundations of the book. It begins by introducing a cartographic theory of language, suggesting that words enable us to map our world. However, drawing on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, it argues that cultures map the world in different ways – influencing how people experience and understand the world – as revealed most starkly by untranslatable words. The chapter argues that engaging with such words can be very useful – for academia and for people in general – as they can help us to refine our maps, facilitating a more nuanced and detailed appraisal of life. It concludes by introducing the research project upon which the book is based, Tim Lomas’ evolving ‘positive cross-cultural lexicography’ of untranslatable words pertaining to wellbeing. In doing so, the chapter explains the analytic process that constitutes the substance of the book, and introduces the resulting theoretical framework of wellbeing, featuring three basic dimensions: feelings, relationships, and personal development. These dimensions – which respectively represent the main ways in which wellbeing is experienced, influenced, and cultivated – are then explored in turn over the next three chapters.

A Map of Well-Being

This concluding chapter summarises the analysis presented in the preceding chapters, and charts a path for the lexicography project to take over the coming years. The chapter begins by distilling the core features of the three meta-categories that together form the overarching theory of wellbeing introduced here, representing the main ways it is experienced (feelings), influenced (relationships), and cultivated (development). In a spirit of reflexivity, it is acknowledged that the analysis in the book has its limitations, including being influenced by the situatedness of the author. However, it is argued that these very limitations can provide the basis for a future research agenda. It is anticipated that this could have two main strands: an empirical strand (aimed at improving the lexicography), and an applied strand (involving initiatives to help people cultivate familiarity with the phenomena signified by the words). Together, these two strands will allow the potential of the lexicography to be fully realised and harnessed in the years ahead.