New research maps what mental wellbeing really means

What do we mean when we talk about “mental wellbeing”? And why does it matter?

A new study commissioned by the Victorian Department of Health’s Wellbeing Promotion Office has tackled one of the most important – and often confusing – questions in mental health today: what are the unique building blocks of wellbeing?

Led by Be Well Co researchers Dr Matthew Iasiello and Dr Joep van Agteren, the study invited 122 global experts to define the core components of mental wellbeing. The result is a clear, evidence-based taxonomy – a shared map that goes beyond the usual suspects like happiness, life satisfaction or self-care, and outlines 19 dimensions that shape how we feel and function.

The taxonomy is an important step to help synthesise a very large and messy landscape of hundreds of scientific (and less scientific) terms to describe parts of mental wellbeing.

As Dr Iasiello explains:
“Imagine if there were 150 different ways to measure blood pressure — it would be confusing, and the results wouldn’t match up. That’s where we’ve been with wellbeing. This framework gives us the consistency and clarity we’ve been missing.”

The taxonomy includes dimensions like belonging, meaning, vitality, safety, and optimism, a holistic view of wellbeing that reflects a comprehensive breadth of what helps individuals thrive.

This study comes at a critical time, as rates of mental health problems seem to have worsened in Australia and around the globe. Promoting mental wellbeing – as opposed to only aiming to prevent and treat illness – is crucial to invest in, as individuals and the wider community, to help tackle these decreasing rates. However, we must do so in an evidence-based manner, and in order to do so we benefit from a more precise understanding of what drives wellbeing.

A common language for mental wellbeing as proposed in the taxonomy, will allow governments, workplaces, educators, and communities to design programs, policies, and initiatives that make a real difference. As such, the Taxonomy is an important complement to other initiatives that aim to strengthen our collective focus on wellbeing. One initiative of note is the newly launched Victorian Department of Health 10-year wellbeing strategy: a landmark strategy that Be Well Co congratulates the Victorian Government for. 

Interested in more info?

👉 If you are interested in reading Be Well Co’s advance copy of A Taxonomy of Positive Mental Health Report check it out here.
👉 Join our free webinar here with Be Well Co and the Victorian Department of Health on September 24, 2025