Stanford WELL For Life

Well-being extends beyond physical health and the absence of disease. We believe that individuals can actively improve their own well-being and that of their communities. With the help of our global team, Stanford WELL and the global WELL study are building the science of well-being and learning how to improve well-being in the US and around the world.

WELL uses a data-driven approach to define and measure well-being, identify factors related to well-being, and evaluate the impact of interventions on well-being. We used qualitative interviews (semi-structured narrative interviews) to identify the key domains (components) of well-being for individuals from various countries and cultures. The petals of the WELL flower reflect the components of well-being. We developed a novel WELL survey tool (a questionnaire with 76-100 questions for various countries) to assess and measure well-being. We then established an algorithm to combine the scoring of these questions into one overall index (WELL score). Currently, the overall score ranges from 0 to 100, with each domain having a maximum of 10 points. Each WELL participant receives an overall score and 10 domain-specific scores. To date, the score's performance on psychometric characteristics (personality traits) is good and is relevant and useful in the four multicultural WELL sites.