What does subjective wellbeing primarily measure?

Subjective wellbeing primarily measures an individual's personal assessment of their own life in terms of satisfaction and emotional experiences. This concept encompasses three main components: life satisfaction, which refers to how individuals evaluate their overall life; pleasant affect, which captures the positive emotions and feelings one experiences; and unpleasant affect, which gauges the negative emotions.

Understanding subjective wellbeing is crucial for various fields, including psychology, sociology, and health studies, as it provides insight into how individuals perceive their quality of life. By focusing on personal feelings and evaluations, subjective wellbeing offers a broad and nuanced view of how happiness and fulfillment are experienced by different individuals. This measure helps in understanding the broad spectrum of human experience beyond just physical or social measures, as it includes how people feel about their lives overall.