In its Constitution in 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well‑being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
In 1990, WHO further elaborated that health includes four dimensions: physical health, mental health, social well‑being, and moral health. Moral health means not harming others’ interests to satisfy one’s own needs, regulating one’s thoughts and behaviors according to socially accepted ethical norms, and having the ability to distinguish truth, falsehood, good, evil, honor, and disgrace.
Studies show that violating social morality often leads to stress, fear, and other negative emotions, easily causing disorders of the nervous and endocrine systems and lowering immune defense. Medical research has found that people engaged in corruption tend to have higher risks of cancer, cerebral hemorrhage, heart disease, and anxiety disorders. In contrast, integrity, kindness, and inner peace help maintain physiological balance and promote health.
In recent years, some scholars have proposed adding economic status as a basic component of health assessment, since human health is a complex, multi‑dimensional concept.
Physical health has clear measurable standards: normal growth and development, body temperature 36–37°C, blood pressure 60–90 mmHg diastolic / 90–130 mmHg systolic, and heart rate 60–80 beats per minute.
Mental health, however, is less clearly defined due to social and cultural differences. Yet it plays a leading role in guiding behavior. Only a healthy mind allows people to adapt to changing environments and handle various challenges.
Mental health refers to a positive psychological state in which a person feels secure, accepts themselves, and lives in harmony with society. It generally includes emotional stability and psychological maturity, both of which are relative, as life and society are constantly changing. True mental health means coordinating personal factors such as education, ability, occupation, and social status, while being able to adapt to, use, and even improve the environment.
Psychologists have described the characteristics of a mentally healthy person: vibrant and happy; capable of both giving and receiving love; confident in facing life’s challenges; enthusiastic at work and fulfilling one’s potential; realistic in self‑assessment without overestimating or underestimating oneself; able to respond rationally to external events and make reasonable life plans.
Sigmund Freud, the pioneer of psychoanalysis, summarized mental health simply as the capacity to love and to work. In his writings, he outlined common traits of mentally healthy individuals: rationality and emotional balance; a sense of self‑worth; the ability to love and maintain close relationships; acceptance of reality’s possibilities and limits; work goals consistent with one’s talents and background; and inner calm and fulfillment that makes life feel meaningful.