What wellbeing is
Wellbeing is more than the absence of problems. You can be free of big worries and still feel empty, and you can be going through something hard and still find joy and meaning. Wellbeing is about what is there in your life, not only what is missing. The idea comes from positive psychology, and above all from the psychologist Martin Seligman, who described five parts of a good life in his book Flourish (2011) — the model known as PERMA.
The five parts are positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement. The structure of this test is inspired by the PERMA-Profiler, a questionnaire by the researchers Julie Butler and Margaret Kern (2016), and like it, the test adds two measures: negative emotion — how often worry, sadness and loneliness have been part of your days lately — and health. Your overall level is worked out from the five core parts alone: flourishing, thriving, moderate or languishing. The two extra measures sit beside it as part of the picture.
A result is a snapshot, not a grade and not a diagnosis. Wellbeing moves with life — with sleep, stress, loss and the things that go well. A low result says something feels heavy right now, not who you are. If you are struggling, talk to someone you trust, or to a doctor.
The statements are Inwork’s own, written for the app from that research, and the test scores exactly as the test inside the app does.
Seven parts
- Positive Emotion
- Positive Emotion reflects how often you feel joy, contentment and gratitude in daily life.
- Engagement
- Engagement reflects how often you get absorbed in what you do and feel curious and interested.
- Relationships
- Relationships reflects how close you feel to others and whether you have people to lean on.
- Meaning
- Meaning reflects how clear a sense of direction you feel in life and whether what you do feels like it matters.
- Achievement
- Achievement reflects whether you feel you are moving toward your goals and can handle what you take on.
- Negative Emotion
- Negative Emotion reflects how often worry, sadness and loneliness have been part of your days lately, so here a lower score means things have been easier.
- Health
- Health reflects how much energy you have and how satisfied you are with your health.
Frequently asked questions
What does PERMA mean?
It stands for the five parts of Martin Seligman’s model: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement. Together they describe what makes a life feel good — not just free of problems.
What if my result is low?
Start by being kind to yourself. A low result says something feels heavy right now, not that you have failed. Talk to someone you trust, and if it has felt heavy for a while, a doctor can help you find the right support. If you are in danger, call your local emergency number.
Do I need an account?
No. The whole result is shown without an account and without an email. An account is only needed if you want to keep it.
Where do my answers go?
Nowhere, unless you choose. The result is worked out on your device and your answers stay in your browser. Save the result to an account and the answers are encrypted first.
