Happiness and Mental Health: A Framework of Vitamins in the Environment and Mental Processes in the Person

The constructs of mental health and happiness overlap with each other to a substantial degree. Positive or negative feelings are intrinsic to each and to their opposites, and the constructs, although distinct, have partly similar causes and consequences. The vitamin model summarized here originated primarily as a perspective on mental health (Warr, 1987) but has since been applied mainly to happiness or unhappiness in settings such as paid work, unemployment and retirement (e.g., Warr, 2007). This chapter also focuses on happiness and unhappiness; it outlines main aspects of the framework as modified over several years.