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 well-being to adjust the measurements for the paradox. People with lower moral and aspirational well-being should be graded with lower degrees of total well-being.