Where Does the Sensation of Well-Being Come from?

A Cross-Cultural Perspective Meets with a Contemporary Neuroscientific Interpretation

Abstract

This paper explores the sensation of well-being from a cross-cultural perspective, comparing Western and Chinese philosophical views and integrating contemporary neuroscience. Western philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill, and Nietzsche, primarily view well-being as an individualistic pursuit related to personal virtue, happiness, or power. In contrast, Chinese philosophers, including Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Neo-Confucians, see well-being as a holistic concept, deeply interconnected with the individual’s relationship to society, nature, and the cosmos. The paper then examines contemporary neural theories, particularly Georg Northoff’s Spatial-Temporal Structure Theory of Consciousness (STSTC), which suggests that well-being arises from the alignment between the brain’s spatial-temporal structure and that of the external world. Northoff’s theory resonates with both Western individualism, in its focus on the brain’s intrinsic capacities, and Chinese holism, in its emphasis on the harmony between the individual and the environment. Finally, the paper connects Northoff’s theory with Spinoza’s double-aspect theory, positing that the brain’s capacity to produce the sensation of well-being stems from Nature’s dual attributes of thought and extension. This Spinozistic interpretation aligns with Neo-Confucian ideas of qi, reinforcing the notion that well-being is a manifestation of the dynamic interplay between the individual and the world. The paper concludes by suggesting that the sensation of well-being is inherently rooted in this complex interaction between the mind, body, and the cosmos and demonstrating how the Spinozistic and Neo-Confucian philosophical traditions can be combined into an integrated framework for understanding where the sensation of well-being originates.