Conclusion
This analysis reveals a paradox in the way we define subjective well-being based on individualist perceptions of satisfaction and happiness. One to achieve greater well-being has to pursue higher levels of wealth and education but in a highly conformist manner in a society where inequalities and injustices are growing fast. The assumptions behind the mainstream notions of subjective well-being are ideologically informed confirming the criticisms of authors like William Davis (the author of The Happiness Industry ) who argued that the metrics of well-being are “systematically disconnected from meaning and community”. Moral and communal elements are needed to be included in our definition of wellbeing to adjust the measurements for the paradox. People with lower moral and aspirational wellbeing should be graded with lower degrees of total well-being.