Complexity and wellbeing: measurement and analysis

Measurement is one of the fundamental activities for understanding and explaining social phenomena. The latter are complex systems, that is, they are made up of a set of elements that interact with each other, giving rise to something that is different from the sum of the elements themselves. Hence, the need to frame the problem of measuring social phenomena within the paradigm of complexity. Well-being is a clear example of a complex social phenomenon, the understanding of which presupposes an approach that will be described in detail in this chapter. The considerations made can be generalised to any social phenomenon. A guide for the analysis of reality is thus provided.