A multinational panel of experts has developed the first international consensus on what constitutes positive mental health, identifying 19 core dimensions and clarifying how well-being should be defined and measured.

Mental well-being has long been defined inconsistently across research, healthcare, and policy, making it difficult to compare findings or design effective interventions. Using data from surveys of 122 experts, researchers developed a new framework that aims to address this fragmentation by establishing a shared definition to guide clinical care and public policy.

“Imagine if there were 150 different ways of measuring blood pressure — the results would be meaningless” lead author Matthew Iasiello, PhD, Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia, said in a press release. “By agreeing that positive mental health isn’t a single feeling but a combination of how we feel, how we function, and how we connect with others, the study brings much‑needed clarity to the field.”

The consensus statement was published online on April 10 in Nature Mental Health.

Beyond Subjective Feeling

Using a three-round Delphi process, researchers surveyed experts with an average of nearly 20 years of experience across 11 disciplines, including economics, medicine, psychiatry, and philosophy.

Participants evaluated 26 dimensions of well-being identified in prior reviews. Nineteen met the 75% agreement threshold for inclusion in the preliminary taxonomy.

Six achieved near-unanimous agreement: meaning and purpose, life satisfaction, self-acceptance, connection, autonomy, and happiness. Other dimensions included optimism, vitality, belonging, competence, engagement, safety, fun, calmness, self-congruence, achievement, development, acceptance, and activities and functioning.

A central feature of the study was distinguishing positive mental health itself from the factors that influence it. Elements such as physical health, income, housing, and coping strategies were classified as drivers rather than components of mental health.

The study defined positive mental health as a subjective experience encompassing emotional well-being, psychological functioning, and social connection. This combination helps people “live a meaningful, manageable life, even when things might be hard,” Iasiello said in the statement.

The framework also reinforced that positive mental health is distinct from mental illness. People can maintain a sense of well-being even while living with conditions such as depression or anxiety, the authors wrote.

Study Context and Limitations

The expert panel was balanced by gender and highly educated, with nearly all participants holding doctoral degrees and many with decades of experience.

Coauthor Joep van Agteren, PhD, CEO of Be Well Co, emphasized the practical implications. “Workplaces, government organizations, and community groups often need help to build the conditions that help their people to thrive,” he said in the statement.

“Understanding what makes up positive mental well-being helps individuals and organizations focus on what can really make a difference,” van Agteren added.

The authors noted several limitations. The sample was weighted toward Western, high-income countries, with most participants identifying as Caucasian or European. Some domains, including spirituality and novelty, did not reach consensus, highlighting areas of ongoing uncertainty.

The taxonomy is a preliminary model that will require further validation across diverse populations and settings.

The research was supported by funding from the Victorian Department of Health in Australia. The authors reported having no competing interests.