the Transdisciplinarity as a Pathway to Doing Good and Being Well: A Multiscale Model of Well-Being

A Multiscale Model of Well-Being

Abstract

This study aims to examine whether transdisciplinary research constitutes a pathway to doing good and generating well-being. Using data from the World Happiness Report (2022—2025), correlation and principal component analyses were conducted to identify the structural determinants of well-being. In parallel, a bibliometric analysis based on Scopus data was performed, including co-occurrence networks, density visualization, temporal evolution, and source mapping. Results reveal a robust structure of wellbeing shaped by the interaction of social, economic, and institutional dimensions. Social support shows the strongest association with life evaluation (r ≈ 0.78—0.83, p < 0.001), followed by GDP per capita and healthy life expectancy, while freedom presents moderate but significant relationships. In contrast, generosity shows no significant association at the global level, indicating its context-dependent nature. Bibliometric findings indicate that transdisciplinary research has evolved from environmental problem-solving toward integrating human and well-being dimensions, functioning as an articulating axis across domains.
A multiscale model is proposed, showing that doing good does not automatically generate well-being, but under coherent conditions, both align and propagate through a multiplier effect across systems.