Exploring Subjective Well-Being: Insights for researchers and practitioners

This dissertation aims at improving our knowledge about Subjective Well-Being (either in theory and in practice) by addressing the crucial question of which mechanisms explain people’s sense of well-being. We support the general hypothesis that while economic growth plays an essential role in increasing people’s life standards, the subjective well-being is in part explained by noneconomic factors.These include individual psychological traits, generalised levels of trust, social support and involvement in social activities. The results of this thesis, may serve as a reference point for educators, researchers, policy-makers, and all those working in the field.