Well-Being Monitoring Within Human-Environment Interactions: A Systematic Review

Abstract The systematic literature review analyzes well-being monitoring through the lens of human-environment interaction to identify the criteria impacting well-being, data sources, and models used to characterize well-being processes. The study addresses two research questions: How are human-environment interactions related to well-being? What is the influence of the spatial dimension on well-being monitoring? Reviewing 73 relevant articles, the authors of the study have found that the dominant approach is anthropocentric, emphasizing ecosystems as services for human well-being, while holistic and ecocentric perspectives are underrepresented. Furthermore, there is a significant lack of quantitative and causal research, especially concerning the feedback loop from human well-being to environmental well-being. Studies are mainly focused on the national or regional level, neglecting the local scale, dynamic models, and the use of modern technologies like satellite imagery. These findings underscore the need to integrate systems thinking and environmental monitoring competencies into sustainability education to better prepare future generations to address complex human-environment challenges.