The Science Behind WeBe

WeBe’s Six Elements of Well Being

The WeBe app prompts users to track six elements of their own well being that can also be shared with trusted others in a user’s pod or group. Each of the elements WeBe has chosen is evidence based and modifiable through the user’s behavior, a critical requirement for the user’s success using WeBe’s approach. Daily health tracking has been proven to encourage mindfulness about habits and their impact on well being. Numerous studies have demonstrated the value and power of tracking our mental health, including those using mobile apps.   

  • Engaging with an emotional well being self-monitoring app may reduce depressive and anxious symptoms and increase mental well being (Bakker & Rickard, 2018). 

  • Use of a wellness mobile app was associated with reductions in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress (Chen, Fearey & Smith, 2017). 

While there are other aspects of life that are important for overall well being, there is considerable evidence supporting the use of WeBe’s six elements and the relationship of each to mental health and well being: 

  1. Emotional Experience 

    Our emotional experience is key to our overall sense of well being. It can be affected by external events – good or bad – or by internal tendencies and predispositions that either help or prevent us from dealing effectively with life’s challenges. 

    • Numerous studies have explored the relationship between our emotional experience and our well-being (Ford & Mauss, 2019). For example, people who experience more frequent positive emotions and less frequent negative emotions have higher well being, including greater life satisfaction, increased physical health and greater resilience to stress (Lyubomirksy, King & Diener, 2005). 

  2. Relationships

    Our significant relationships are key to our overall well being. Relationships change over time and can be affected by events and experiences that may have an impact on the individual – such as a new job or significant illness - as well as events that affect relationships themselves – geographic relocation, birth of a child, or the death of a family member.  

    • An extensive body of literature has indicated that having supportive relationships is one of the strongest predictors of positive well being – a finding that holds across age, gender, and other demographic variables (see Myers, 2003; Diener & Suh, 2003; Thomas, Liu, & Umberson, 2017). 

       

  3. Physical Health 

    Individuals experience their physical health in different ways. For some, if they aren’t sick or hurting, then all is well. For others, their goal is to optimize fitness. Many of us find ourselves somewhere in the middle – doing our best to maintain healthy habits but feeling we could do a bit more. Few of us, however, are prepared for the impact that a major illness or injury can have on our overall well being. 

  4. Activity  

    Being physically active is key to overall well being regardless of age or lifestyle. The manner in which we engage in activity is less important than the fact we remain active. 

    • The evidence demonstrating the benefits of various forms of activity and exercise on emotional well being is substantial (Rebar et al., 2015). These benefits are recognized widely within the mental health community, and as a result, exercise is often included in treatment plans (Richardson et al., 2005). 

  5. Sleep 

    The quality and quantity of our sleep is key to overall well being. Either too little or too much sleep can be detrimental to your well being.  

    • There has been extensive research linking sleep with well being including meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials demonstrating that improved sleep leads to better mental health (Scott et al., 2021). 

       

  6. Spirituality 

    Spirituality is one way individuals find meaning, hope, comfort, and inner peace. Many people find spirituality through religion while others find it through nature, music, or art. There is no single approach that fits everyone, and some individuals may not feel the presence, desire, or need for spirituality at all.