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There has always been interest in understanding what constitutes the good life and the basis for creating it. Much has been written about health and wellbeing at multiple scales, from the physical and psychological through to the societal and environmental. Wellbeing has been studied from the perspectives of psychology, medicine, economics, social science, ecology, and political science. However, the interconnections between these scales and perspectives have received far less attention.

Understanding these interdependencies is critical to the comprehensive understanding of wellbeing and how to improve it.

In a newly published and first of its kind booked - Toward an Integrated Science of Wellbeing - co-editors and current and former ANU academics Elizabeth Rieger, Robert Costanza, Ida Kubiszewski, and Paul Dugdale have taken a whole system perspective to capture the full spectrum of approaches, interconnections and dimensions to wellbeing.

With contributions from established and emerging scholars from around the world, each chapter within the book presents a perspective that considers the psychological, biological, societal and environmental dimensions of wellbeing, and encompasses diverse fields including sociology, ecological economics, ecosystem health, earth system science, medicine, psychology and public administration.

Join ANU Chancellor, The Hon Julie Bishop who will give an opening address, followed by the co-editors and valued contributors as they present initial ideas for the creation of an integrated scientific framework for wellbeing.

A Q&A session will follow the presentation and canapés and drinks (6:30-7:00pm) will be served after the event.

For further information about the book, visit Oxford University Press. Attendees will receive a discount for the purchase of the book.