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This essay examines core contributions of a model of psychological well-being that has had widespread scientific impact. It drew on distant formulations to identify new dimensions and measures for assessing what it means to be well. Key themes among the more than 750 studies using the model are sketched, followed by reflections about why there has been so much interest in this eudaimonic approach to well-being. A final section looks to the future, proposing new directions to illuminate the forces that work against the realization of human potential as well as those that nurture human flourishing and self-realization.

This study explores how tourism experiences can cultivate inner peace through the interaction of environmental, emotional, and cognitive factors. Using qualitative data from 30 solo tourists in Da Lat, Vietnam, the research integrates the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model with Attention Restoration Theory (ART), flow theory, and mindfulness to explain the psychological process behind eudaimonic well-being in tourism. The findings indicate that inner peace emerges through the resonant interaction of four experiential conditions: the restorative qualities of natural environments, the calming influence of cool climates, the mindful rhythm fostered by slow tourism, and the self-reflective capacity enabled by conscious solitude. Together, these conditions constitute a therapeutic experiential context that facilitates emotional restoration, sustained presence, and heightened self-awareness. Building on these insights, the study advances the Resonant Inner Peace Pathway framework, conceptualizing inner peace as a multilayered and processual psychological phenomenon rather than as a transient or purely affective state. Practically, it provides insights for developing nature-based, mindful, and slow-paced tourism models that enhance tourists' mental well-being and promote sustainable destination design. This study therefore reframes tourism not as an escape from reality, but as a conscious process oriented towards inner harmony and existential balance.

Interest in eudaimonia (e.g., growth, meaning, authenticity, excellence) and its distinction from hedonia (e.g., pleasure, enjoyment, comfort, absence of distress) is growing rapidly, as researchers recognize that both concepts are central to the study of well-being. Yet research on these concepts faces challenges as well: findings based on different operationalizations can be quite discrepant; definitions of eudaimonia and hedonia sometimes fall into different categories of analysis (e.g. when eudaimonia is described as a way of functioning, hedonia as an experience); and the terms eudaimonia and hedonia are sometimes defined vaguely or applied to concepts that may be mere correlates. To aid in addressing these challenges, we propose the following terminology and classification for discussing conceptual and operational definitions: (1) degree of centrality—differentiating concepts that are core (i.e., definitional), close-to-core (i.e., given some attention but not central), and major correlates; (2) category of analysis—identifying which of the following categories a definition represents: (a) orientations (orientations, values, motives, and goals), (b) behaviors (behavioral content, activity characteristics), (c) experiences (subjective experiences, emotions, cognitive appraisals), (d) functioning (indices of positive psychological functioning, mental health, flourishing); and (3) level of measurement—identifying whether a definition is used for trait and/or state comparisons. The work of scholars with a program of research on eudaimonia or the distinction between eudaimonia and hedonia is reviewed and discussed within the framework of the proposed classification; several points of convergence and divergence across definitions are highlighted; and important questions and directions for future research are identified.

The COVID-19 outbreak could be considered as an uncontrollable stressful life event. Lockdown measures have provoked a disruption of daily life with a great impact over older adults’ health and well-being. Nevertheless, eudaimonic well‐being plays a protective role in confronting adverse circumstances, such as the COVID-19 situation. This study aims to assess the association between age and psychological well-being (personal growth and purpose in life). Young–old (60–70 years) and old–old (71–80 years) community-dwelling Spaniards (N = 878) completed a survey and reported on their sociodemographic characteristics and their levels of health, COVID-19 stress-related, appraisal, and personal resources. Old–old did not evidence poorer psychological well-being than young–old. Age has only a negative impact on personal growth. The results also suggest that the nature of the COVID-19 impact (except for the loss of a loved one) may not be as relevant for the older adults’ well-being as their appraisals and personal resources for managing COVID-related problems. In addition, these results suggest that some sociodemographic and health-related variables have an impact on older adults’ well-being. Thus, perceived-health, family functioning, resilience, gratitude, and acceptance had significant associations with both personal growth and purpose in life. Efforts to address older adults’ psychological well-being focusing on older adults’ personal resources should be considered.

This study explores how tourism experiences can cultivate inner peace through the interaction of environmental, emotional, and cognitive factors. Using qualitative data from 30 solo tourists in Da Lat, Vietnam, the research integrates the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) model with Attention Restoration Theory (ART), flow theory, and mindfulness to explain the psychological process behind eudaimonic well-being in tourism. The findings indicate that inner peace emerges through the resonant interaction of four experiential conditions: the restorative qualities of natural environments, the calming influence of cool climates, the mindful rhythm fostered by slow tourism, and the self-reflective capacity enabled by conscious solitude. Together, these conditions constitute a therapeutic experiential context that facilitates emotional restoration, sustained presence, and heightened self-awareness. Building on these insights, the study advances the Resonant Inner Peace Pathway framework, conceptualizing inner peace as a multilayered and processual psychological phenomenon rather than as a transient or purely affective state. Practically, it provides insights for developing nature-based, mindful, and slow-paced tourism models that enhance tourists’ mental well-being and promote sustainable destination design. This study therefore reframes tourism not as an escape from reality, but as a conscious process oriented towards inner harmony and existential balance.

The phenomenon of solitude-seeking tourism has gained attention in recent years due to the growing emphasis on mental and emotional health. While solitude has garnered increasing scholarly and practical interest, there has been limited attention given to how solitude shapes the eudaimonic, hedonic, and behavioral outcomes of tourists. To address the gaps, this study proposes a novel theoretical framework based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response theory and eudaimonia-hedonia literature, which examines the relationships between solitude, intrapersonal authenticity, self-development, subjective well-being, and behavioral intention. Through the analysis of 320 valid responses using partial least squares-structural equation modeling, this study indicates that the physical & personal freedom and intellectual & spiritual elements dimensions in solitude positively contribute to intrapersonal authenticity and self-development. Intrapersonal authenticity and self-development, in turn, lead to subjective well-being, which ultimately has a positive influence on behavioral intention. The implications of these findings for academics, destination practitioners, and policymakers are discussed.

This article reviews research and interventions that have grown up around a model of psychological well-being generated more than two decades ago to address neglected aspects of positive functioning such as purposeful engagement in life, realization of personal talents and capacities, and enlightened self-knowledge. The conceptual origins of this formulation are revisited and scientific products emerging from 6 thematic areas are examined: (1) how well-being changes across adult development and later life; (2) what are the personality correlates of well-being; (3) how well-being is linked with experiences in family life; (4) how well-being relates to work and other community activities; (5) what are the connections between well-being and health, including biological risk factors, and (6) via clinical and intervention studies, how psychological well-being can be promoted for ever-greater segments of society. Together, these topics illustrate flourishing interest across diverse scientific disciplines in understanding adults as striving, meaning-making, proactive organisms who are actively negotiating the challenges of life. A take-home message is that increasing evidence supports the health protective features of psychological well-being in reducing risk for disease and promoting length of life. A recurrent and increasingly important theme is resilience – the capacity to maintain or regain well-being in the face of adversity. Implications for future research and practice are considered.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the relationships among local food consumption experience, cultural competence, eudaimonia, and behavioral intention. Building upon acculturation theory, need hierarchy theory and self-determination theory, the current study develops a conceptual model of local food consumption as international tourists’ acculturation process. Design/methodology/approach This study collects data from 305 Chinese outbound tourists and uses partial least squares-structural equation modeling to examine the developed model. Findings The findings reveal a significant effect of the local food consumption experience, consisting of novel, authentic, sensory and social dimensions, on cultural competence, which subsequently evokes eudaimonia and behavioral response toward local food. The mediating effect of cultural competence is also confirmed. Practical implications Destination marketers and restaurant managers should recognize local food consumption as a meaningful tool that contributes to tourists’ cultural competence and eudaimonic well-being during travel. They should strive to craft an indigenous consumption setting and provide employee training on the history and culture of local food, helping tourists understand local food customs and embrace different food cultures. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, very few studies have attempted to examine the meaningful consequences of local food consumption through the theoretical lens of acculturation. This study dives into international tourists’ local food consumption and pioneers a conceptual model to capture how local food consumption experience provokes their eudaimonia and behavioral desires through the mechanism of cultural competence.

Work is one of the most enduring and consequential life domains regarding how meaning and purpose impact health and well-being. This review first examines scientific findings from the MIDUS (Midlife in the U.S.) national longitudinal study that have linked work to well-being and health. Most have focused on adverse work or work conditions as influences on poor health, with a few recent findings investigating links to purpose and other aspects of eudaimonic well-being. Organizational scholarship is then selectively reviewed to show how meaningful work is often linked to motivation, performance, and commitment. Paradoxically, meaning can also lead to the exploitation and erosion of health and well-being when managed without regard for decent working conditions. Recent workplace phenomena known as the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting underscore the societal consequences of work without meaning or adequate working conditions. Both the scientific and organizational literature are enriched by a vision of meaningful work rooted in Aristotle’s writings about virtue, ethics, and the realization of potential. Evidence-based practices tied to these eudaimonic ideals are examined at multiple levels, including the societal context (public policy), organizational conditions (culture, human resource practices, leadership), and individual strategies to find meaning, engagement, and fulfillment in work. A concluding section highlights strengths and omissions in the scientific and organizational literature and, going forward, calls for greater interplay among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in enacting eudaimonic ideals.

Abstract The study of happiness and well-being is receiving increased attention in different fields. Recent research into well-being has focused on delving deeper into the individual’s conception about the experience of well-being. McMahan and Estes (2011a) created a scale that assesses lay conceptions of well-being based on four dimensions: the experience of pleasure, avoidance of negative experience, self-development and contribution to others. The goal of this study was to adapt this scale, the Beliefs about Well-Being Scale (BWBS), to the Spanish population. The sample consisted of 1,024 participants from the general population ranging in age interval from 17 to 87 years old. The confirmatory factorial analysis results in a structure of four dimensions, similar to the original scale, although in the adaptation of the scale the items decrease from 16 to 12. The results of the reliability analysis reveal indexes similar to those of the original scale. These results confirm the validity of Beliefs about Well-Being Scale with general population in a cultural context different from the original study. This will allow cross-cultural studies to analyze the influence of culture in the perception of well-being.