
Great Lives: Well-Being
Well-being is not only about being happy or being wealthy, nor is it only synonymous with physical health. Rather, it is about the interaction and interdependency between many aspects of life, such as finding fulfillment in daily work and interactions, having strong social relationships and access to the resources people need, feeling financially secure, being physically healthy, and taking part in a true community.
Gallup and Healthways developed the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5 View to measure these important aspects. This survey, based on findings from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index and years of joint research, asks 10 questions that gauge well-being in five elements:
- Purpose Well-Being: Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals
- Social Well-Being: Having strong and supportive relationships and love in your life
- Financial Well-Being: Effectively managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security
- Community Well-Being: The sense of engagement you have with the areas where you live, liking where you live, and feeling safe and having pride in your community
- Physical Well-Being: Having good health and enough energy to get things done on a daily basis
5 Elements

Nearly one in five Goucher Alumnae/i are thriving in all five elements of well-being.
Ahead in All 5 Areas
Goucher alumnae/i are more likely to be thriving in each element of well-being than all of their comparison groups.

Purposeful and Social Lives
As the chart above indicates, of the five elements, Goucher alumnae/i are at least six percentage points more likely to be thriving in the elements of purpose and social well-being (62% each) than are any of the comparison groups. This means that Goucher alumnae/i like what they do each day, are motivated to achieve their goals, and have strong and supportive relationships and love in their lives.
Share Your Story
Please share your story about how Goucher helped you become a socially responsible citizen.
Socially Responsible Citizens
More than half agreed or strongly agreed that Goucher helped shape them into socially responsible citizens.