People have always aspired for a long, dignified and meaningful life. However, the stresses in contemporary life are increasing in such a way that it is becoming difficult to cope with them. Happiness and well-being are important and necessary for every individual. Both of these bring about the positive feelings of joy, satisfaction, pleasure and pleasantness.
Have you remained unhappy, alone and sad for a long time? Were you able to do your daily activities? Did you like meeting other people or talk to them? Yes, if you are unhappy you do not feel like doing anything. Remaining in this state for a long time is harmful to our body and mind. Therefore, PERMA model can employ for developing happiness and well-being.
PERMA model is a theory of happiness and well-being. It measure general well-being of individuals. This theory was introduced by Seligman. PERMA model is also sufficient when discussing mental health. The awareness of PERMA can help you increase your well-being by focusing on combinations of feeling good, living meaningfully, establishing supportive and friendly relationships, accomplishing goals, and being fully engaged with life.
Elements of Perma Model
The five elements are:
- P- Positive Emotion
- E- Engagement
- R- Relationships
- M- Meaning
- A- Accomplishments.
Positive Emotion
Within limits, we can increase our positive emotion about the past (e.g., by cultivating gratitude and forgiveness), our positive emotion about the present (e.g., by savoring physical pleasures and mindfulness) and our positive emotion about the future (e.g., by building hope and optimism).
Engagement
Engagement include a good conversation, a work task, playing a musical instrument, reading a book, writing, building furniture, fixing a bike, gardening, sports training or performance, to name just a few.
Relationship
Relationships are fundamental to well-being. The experiences that contribute to well-being are often amplified through our relationships, for example, great joy, meaning, laughter, a feeling of belonging, and pride in accomplishment. Connections to others can give life purpose and meaning.
Meaning
A sense of meaning and purpose can be derived from belonging to and serving something bigger than the self. There are various societal institutions that enable a sense of meaning, such as religion, family, science, politics, work organizations, justice, the community, social causes (e.g., being green), among others. Ask yourself this question: Does my life have meaning?
Accomplishment
Accomplishments may not give you a greater sense of meaning, but still elevate your overall well-being. People pursue achievement, competence, success, and mastery for its own sake, in a variety of domains, including the workplace, sports, games, hobbies, etc. People pursue accomplishment even when it does not necessarily lead to positive emotion, meaning, or relationships.
Furthermore, it was revealed V was later added to the model (PERMA-V). V which stands for “vitality” i.e. physical vitality includes eating right, sleeping well, and being physically healthy contribute to mental and emotional health.
Individual with high well-being will be able to achieve the following:
- Live long.
- Perform better at work, school etc.
- Have stronger immune systems.
- Have better physical health.
- Have greater self-control.
- Less depression and anxiety.
By considering the 5 elements of PERMAL MODEL, people can work toward positive feelings, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments. Identifying and using your character strengths is the first step in achieving a higher well-being. It will also assist in developing virtues such as wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence.
