Why Learning and Enjoyment May Be the Most Overlooked Dimensions of Well-Being

Most conversations about well-being focus on familiar topics — exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress management.

These are all important.

But 2 of the most important dimensions of well-being rarely get the attention they deserve.

Learning and enjoyment are often overlooked. Employee wellness programs that help people learn, grow, connect with others, and enjoy the experience are more likely to create lasting behavior change.

Philosopher and author Richard David Precht offers a compelling insight: “Learning and enjoyment are the secret to a fulfilled life. Learning without enjoyment wears you down, enjoyment without learning dulls you.”

It’s a simple idea, yet it captures something many employee wellness programs overlook. People don’t flourish simply because they exercise or eat vegetables (though it’s a good start).

We thrive when we’re learning, growing, discovering, connecting, and enjoying life. Without those experiences, it’s possible to have good health habits and still feel stuck. We’re living, but we’re not thriving. 

Why Learning and Enjoyment Matter

Researchers have spent decades studying why some healthy behaviors stick while others fade away.

Put simply, people are more likely to keep doing things they enjoy. Self-Determination Theory helps explain why: lasting motivation comes less from external rewards and more from experiences that feel meaningful, engaging, and personally rewarding.¹

Similarly, research on physical activity has found that enjoyment is a strong predictor of long-term participation. People are more likely to continue doing activities they genuinely enjoy than those they do solely because they should for physical health.²

That may sound obvious, but it has important implications for workplace well-being.

Many programs are designed primarily around outcomes and participation metrics. The assumption is that if we can get people to do the right things, well-being will follow.

Sometimes that’s true.

But often, the experiences most likely to produce lasting behavior change are the ones people enjoy for reasons not solely tied to health improvement — they’re interesting, social, meaningful, help us develop new skills, or create experiences worth sharing.

The Difference Between Participating and Flourishing

Think about a time when you could say without hesitation that you were flourishing.

What comes to mind? Probably not checking boxes. 

Were you learning new skills? Exploring new ideas? Developing relationships? Were you discovering things about yourself and the world around you? 

Contrast that with a time when you or someone you know were simply going through the motions. Showing up, doing what’s required, collecting the reward, moving on. You’re still making an effort, but engagement is lacking and joy is missing. 

When you’re engaged in learning and growth, you have more energy, curiosity, creativity, and optimism in every part of your life, including work.

That’s why employers and wellness managers should care about learning and enjoyment. These aren’t distractions from well-being. They are foundational ingredients of it.

When Well-being Becomes Too Transactional

This is where many organizations unintentionally create challenges for themselves. To increase participation, they add incentives.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with incentives. They can be useful for attracting attention and encouraging people to take a first step.

But incentives can’t manufacture enjoyment. In fact, when incentives become a main focus, they can crowd out some of the things that make experiences meaningful.

Participants begin asking: “How many points is this worth?” Instead of: “What might I learn?” Or: “That sounds interesting.” Or: “I want to try that.”

The goal isn’t to eliminate incentives necessarily. It’s to create experiences so engaging that the incentive becomes secondary.

What Learning Really Looks Like

Part of the challenge is that we sometimes think of learning too narrowly.

Learning is often treated as a formal activity — a course, a webinar, a training module, a certification.

Those things have value. But some of the best learning happens outside formal instruction. 

Learning is discovering something in the world or in yourself that causes you to pause, reflect, and perhaps change your actions.

It might happen during a walk, during a conversation with a coworker, while trying a new hobby, or when you’re exploring a topic you’ve never considered before.

Learning doesn’t have to feel like school. In fact, some of the most powerful learning moments don’t feel like learning at all — they feel like curiosity, exploration, even fun. 

Learning, Enjoyment, and Community

There’s another ingredient that often magnifies both learning and enjoyment: other people.

Think about some of your favorite memories. Chances are other people were part of them.

Humans are social learners. We learn from one another. We encourage one another. We share discoveries. We celebrate progress together.

Growth becomes more rewarding when it happens within a community. That’s one reason wellness challenges can be so effective when they’re thoughtfully designed.

The healthiest outcomes are often driven by conversations. People sharing ideas. Friends encouraging friends. Coworkers discovering something together and working toward a shared goal. 

The experience becomes bigger than the activity itself.

What Makes an Employee Wellness Program Successful?

Many organizations think successful wellness programs are primarily about participation rates, platform utilization, or incentives earned.

Those metrics matter. But they don’t tell the whole story.

A truly successful employee wellness program becomes something employees look forward to. Participation is driven by interest and enjoyment rather than pressure or rewards. Employees view it as a valued benefit, not another task to complete.

One of the clearest signs of success is: are people already asking about the next thing?

When employees finish a program and ask how they can keep the momentum going — or when they can participate again — they’ve done more than complete activities. They’ve learned something, connected with others, improved their health, and enjoyed the experience.

That’s the difference between a wellness program people use and a wellness program they value.

Related: The Science Behind HES Well-Being Challenges white paper

What This Can Look Like in Practice

Consider an emotional well-being challenge built around art and flourishing.

Participants aren’t simply completing tasks. They’re learning about the factors that contribute to a fulfilling life. They’re reflecting on their experiences. They’re exploring ideas in a creative and engaging format.

Related: Work of Art emotional well-being challenge 

Or consider a financial well-being experience that transforms personal finance education into an interactive game. 

The information isn’t necessarily new. What changes is the experience. Learning becomes enjoyable, curiosity grows, and people stay engaged because the experience itself has value.

Related: Right On the Money financial wellness challenge

Even something as simple as a walking challenge can create opportunities for learning and enjoyment. Participants discover new routes, learn new facts, notice things they might otherwise miss, connect with coworkers, share stories, and build relationships.

Related: Walktober fall walking challenge

The activity matters. But the experience surrounding the activity may matter even more.

Questions Every Wellness Leader Should Ask

When evaluating an employee wellness program, organizations often focus on participation rates, outcomes, incentives, and logistics.

Those all matter. But a few additional questions deserve a place on the list. 

What will participants learn?

What part of the experience is genuinely enjoyable?

Will people talk about it afterward?

Would someone want to participate even without the incentive?

Will they want to do it again?

The answers to those questions tell you just as much about a program’s potential impact as any participation metric.

Related: 10 Best Practices We Learned from 700 Wellness Challenge Implementations

A Final Reflection

Think about the times in your own life when you felt most alive. Chances are you weren’t simply checking off healthy habits. You were learning something. Growing. Creating. Discovering. Sharing experiences with people you care about. And yes, enjoying the process.

As wellness leaders, our responsibility extends beyond helping people improve health metrics or earn this year’s wellness points.

We have an opportunity to create environments where learning, growth, connection, and enjoyment can flourish.

When the people we serve have those opportunities, well-being becomes more than something they pursue. It becomes something they value. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Learning, Enjoyment, and Well-Being

What are the most overlooked dimensions of well-being?

Learning and enjoyment are often overlooked dimensions of well-being. While physical health habits matter, people are more likely to thrive when they are learning, growing, connecting with others, and enjoying the experience.

Why is enjoyment important in employee wellness programs?

People are more likely to continue participating in activities they enjoy. Enjoyment helps create lasting motivation and can make healthy behaviors more sustainable over time.

How does learning contribute to well-being?

Learning encourages curiosity, growth, and personal development. It can help people discover new ideas, build confidence, develop skills, and find greater meaning in everyday experiences.

What makes an employee wellness program successful?

A successful wellness program is one employees genuinely value and look forward to. Participation is driven by interest, enjoyment, learning, and connection rather than pressure or rewards alone.

Do incentives improve wellness program participation?

Incentives can help attract attention and encourage participation, especially at the beginning. However, lasting engagement is more likely when the experience itself is meaningful, enjoyable, and rewarding.