Although much is said about quality of life, we do not always have a clear idea of what this means. In fact, there are many expert definitions about it and it could be said that, in one way or another, each person could build their own concept of what a quality life is .
It should also be borne in mind that sociology, anthropology, health sciences, politics, and almost each of the human sciences have their own idea about what quality of life is. In general, they have many aspects in common, but they also have differences.
There is no closed agreement regarding the importance of
objective and subjective factors in quality of life . Some views give greater
relevance to factors such as income level or the availability of public
services. Other approaches place greater emphasis on the degree of perceived
satisfaction or appreciation of life. Let's see what this is all about.
" The quality of life is more important than life itself ."
What is quality of life?
In a very general way, we could say that quality of life is
the set of circumstances that guarantee the well - being of a person in a given context . These
coincide to a large extent with the type of life that each person wants to
have, because they perceive that they give them stability.
From a certain point of view, quality of life is something
of a synonym for what people call "happiness." However, this last
concept is very abstract and relative. There are no fully defined benchmarks of
what it is to be happy .
However, a study, carried out by Harvard University for 76
years and led by psychiatrist George Vaillant, concluded that the factors that
make people happy are the following, in order :
The presence of love in life.
Have meaningful relationships .
Do not abuse psychoactive substances.
Have a job that generates enthusiasm and provides what is
necessary to live.
Stay optimistic.
It must be borne in mind that these are conclusions from a
very extensive study, both in years and in people consulted. However, it was
done in high-income countries , which could imply a bias. Despite this, the
items seem to have a good degree of universality.
Well-being and well-being
The word well-being also refers to a concept for which there
is no unanimous definition. There is quality of life when there is well-being,
but the latter involves several dimensions and there must be a balance between
them. The different types of wellness are as follows:
Emotional well-being
Those who understand
their emotions and know how to regulate them have emotional well-being ,
developing from this a process of personal growth in which inner strength and
the ability to make reasonable and autonomous decisions predominate. Under
these conditions it is possible to establish relationships of mutual support
and interdependence with others.
Material well-being
It is understood that there is material well-being when the
level of income allows satisfying significant needs . This is a controversial
aspect, as one's needs vary greatly from one person to another. However,
well-being exists if a person has access to basic goods, which include housing,
food, health, public services and recreation. From then on, the issue goes
through personal goals and values.
Social welfare
There is social welfare when links of cooperation and
solidarity are established with the groups with which we interact . This
involves healthy, peaceful, mutually helpful and supportive relationships that
create feelings of security and balance. Every person needs a support network
to have a good quality of life.
physical well-being
It means having the possibility of accessing everything that
guarantees health . This includes the health services themselves, a good diet,
physical activity, and healthy habits. Likewise, it implies having knowledge
and awareness of the elements and practices that allow the body to function
properly.
Woman eating salad after exercising
Personal development
Every person needs opportunities to grow and unfold their
potential in various fields . Among these opportunities is access to education
and training, as well as decent work in which skills and knowledge can be
applied, and in which there is the possibility of evolving in various ways.
As can be seen, the quality of life is made up of factors of
various kinds . They seem like too many, but they are not. In fact, the right
thing to do is to guide the world towards a state in which all these forms of
well-being are accessible to any human being, just because they are.
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