Goals and Plans: Their Relationship to Well-Being

Abstract

Individual well-being has been linked to having an approach to life that is goal-based. That is, those who have a goal-based orientation and a tendency towards planning report a higher sense of well-being. Furthermore, some more prescriptive approaches to defining well-being actually include goals and sense of purpose as being part of the construct well-being. Evidence is reviewed to assess the strength of the goal–well-being link, including goal content, goal orientation, and organisation. Areas where goals may be detrimental to well-being, including certain types of goals and the balance of investment in goals, are also discussed. Finally, evidence for the link between planning and well-being is outlined and mechanisms for its operation discussed.