Changes in Well-Being: Complementing a Psychosocial Approach with Neurobiological Insights

Abstract

The sustainability of changes in well-being achieved via positive interventions is challenged by findings that happiness levels are constrained by a homeostatic set-point. In this paper, we propose that while generally stable, the neurological and psychophysiological bases of well-being demonstrate plasticity. The neurobiological underpinnings of the hedonic component of well-being are first reviewed, demonstrating the value of both central (such as frontal asymmetry) and peripheral (such as heart rate variability) indices. Convergent evidence that certain well-being interventions are capable of modifying subjective, central and peripheral indices of positive affect or regulation of negative..