THE QUALITY OF LIFE RESEARCH CENTRE

The Quality of Life Research Centre is an independent organisation that, through its quality of
life research projects, seeks to promote and enhance peoples' quality of life.

The Centre was established 1 July 1994 as an independent, permanent research institution.
The leader of the institute, Soren Ventegodt, M.D, has been widely recognised for his research
especially for his award winning work on the measurement of quality of life.

The Centre, situated in the heart of Copenhagen, provides the framework around which the
various activities, including; research analysis, software-development, statistical-processing
and public relations are co-ordinated by the secretariat.

The research centre is financed through different foundations, contract research, seminars and
counselling other organisations.  All income goes to run The Quality of Life Research Centre.

WHAT IS QUALITY OF LIFE?

"The goal must be a better quality of life" is one thing people often say.  But in order to
attain such a goal we must have a clear comprehension of what quality of life is - and what
life is. The Quality of Life Research Centre is based on a human view that says:

Life has a surface and a depth.

The surface is what is normally presented for ourselves and for others; the depth contains the
more lasting values, that we often hide.

It is when the depth is being acknowledged and expressed in our lives, that meaning of life and
quality of life are being promoted.

In quality of life research, there is often a distinction made between a subjective and an
objective quality of life. Subjective quality of life is about feeling good and being content.
Objective quality of life is about fulfilling the cultural demands of material and social
status as well as physical health.

Quality of life understood in those terms, describes only the surface of life. We feel, that
between these two poles on the surface of existence, is an existential core of an experienced
meaning of life, where the subjective and objective meet, and the source of life-quality
exists. To reach towards this core of life, is both the goal for our research, and the hope
for the use of the results.

THE FIRST RESULTS

How does quality of life interact with aspects of life like sickness, lifestyle, personal
relations and material well-being?  Some results from our research:

In relationship to the measured quality of life, it is unimportant WHAT you are (your gender,
height, education, occupation).  Quality of life is, to a high degree, connected to HOW YOU
FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF.

The size of your annual income, has no direct connection with your quality of life. But those
who PERCEIVE their financial situation as bad, have a lower quality of life.

Also, the type of job you have, has no direct connection with your quality of life. The
essential thing is that you are SATISFIED with your work, and you have GOOD RELATIONS with your
colleagues.

In relations to health, quality of life is less connected with an objective diagnosis than with
self-experienced inconvenience through sickness. This indicates, that modern medical treatment
takes place far from the source of life-quality.

Quality of life has almost no connections with differences in consumption of {*filter*} or
tobacco, eating habits or physical training.

We would like to get in contact with M.D.s or other professionals, who's field of work is close
to the above, for an exchange of thoughts and results.

Co-operation for some future international projects would also be interesting, and we are
currently seeking a partner for a joint project proposal under the European Community Framework
IV Programme for Research and Technological Development.

Please respond on this BBS or the E-mail address.