Tesco
Wellbeing
Book

Wellbeing

The Five Essential Elements

Tom Rath and Jim Harter
Gallup Press, 2010

Read or listen offline

  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

6

Recommendation

Gallup Inc., the world’s most experienced polling organization, set out to determine what makes people happy. In this book, Tom Rath and Jim Harter, two Gallup professionals, dissect the organization’s complex research findings. Real well-being depends on a blend of satisfaction in five distinct areas: work, money, health, social life and community. For entirely practical reasons, not everyone can follow Rath and Harter’s advice, no matter how sound it may be. For those who can adhere to its precepts, this is a solid, revealing and useful text on happiness. getAbstract recommends the authors’ all-inclusive philosophy of well-being and notes that this book comes with another bonus: special access codes to Gallup’s online “Well-being Finder,” which readers can use to measure their leadership strengths and track their well-being quotient.

Take-Aways

  • Total well-being derives from combining earnings, physical fitness, an active social life, a good job and strong community ties.
  • Individuals who try to improve only one or two of these areas can’t achieve happiness.
  • Only 7% of people have optimized their lives in all aspects of well-being.

About the Authors

Tom Rath directs workplace research and leadership consulting activities for Gallup, Inc., where Jim Harter, PhD, is chief scientist for international workplace management and well-being.

Comment on this summary or Start Discussion