In this essay, I will define and discuss the concepts of “positive psychology”, “happiness”, which is synonymous with well-being subjective (SWB); of “the architecture of lasting happiness”; and the biopsychosocial model. My goal is to demonstrate that SWB is multifaceted and can only be understood by studying biological, psychological, and social factors and their interdependence to build a holistic model. I will provide examples of these different factors and their interdependence and explain why the biopsychosocial paradigm is best for understanding happiness and conclude that SWB is indeed a “biopsychosocial phenomenon.” The concept of positive psychology is relatively new since it was only defined in 2000 as: “[the] scientific study of optimal human functioning [which] aims to discover and promote the factors that enable individuals and communities to flourish. » (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, cited in Boniwell and Rostron, 2010, p.119) This is essentially the scientific study of happiness, or SWB. SWB is a state in which a person "will experience many pleasant emotions and few unpleasant emotions when they are engaged in interesting activities, when they experience many pleasures and few pains, and when they are satisfied with their lives” (Diener, in Toates, 2010, p.8). This is personal and subjective and its quantification is usually based on personal reports. SWB can also be defined as “life satisfaction + affect” (Boniwell and Rostron, 2010, p.123). Life satisfaction is a person's evaluation of their own life (cognitive process); affect is a person's mood (emotional process).The biopsychosocial model assumes that biological, psychological, and social factors all play a role in mental health and that they are interdependent, m...... middle of paper ...... and well-being [online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/976358/mod_resource/content/4/assets/animation/b2act21.html?content=b2act21.xml (accessed January 15, 2014). Toates, F. (2010) 'Bodies, brains, behavior and minds' in SDK228 The Science of Mind: Investigating Mental Health, Unit 1, 'Fundamental Concepts of Mental Health', Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 1-27.Toates, F. (2010) 'Factors that contribute to mental well-being' in SDK228 The Science of the Mind: Investigating Mental Health, Unit 1, 'Basic Concepts in Mental Health', Milton Keynes , The Open University, pp. 63-90. Urry, L., Nitschke, JB, Dolski, I., Jackson, DC, Dalton, KM, Mueller, CJ, Rosenkranz, MA, Ryff, CD, Singer, BH, Davidson, RJ (2004) “Do a life worth living: neural correlates of well-being”, Psychological Science, vol. 5, no. 6, pp... 367-372.