The study of well-being is gaining traction across many academic disciplines, with a strong emphasis on the factors that shape individual and collective well-being. One particularly compelling area for deeper analysis is the connection between community well-being and cultural heritage. This paper presents the findings of a literature review undertaken in May 2025 which analysed 187 papers reporting on this relationship, offering a synthesis of the central themes identified by researchers over the last 50 years. This analysis highlights the many disciplines considering the issue from different theoretical perspectives, as well as the various impacts to community well-being experienced when communities interact with cultural heritage of all types. What is consistent across the data is the integral role cultural heritage plays in strengthening community identity and social cohesion, which is reinforced by the emotional benefits of place attachment and belonging. The analysis draws together the central themes in the literature and builds a theoretical framework to summarise the identified conceptual interactions and highlights several potential avenues for future work. By focusing potential research on identifying possible causal links, evidence-based interventions for the utilisation of cultural heritage for well-being improvements can be developed. Likewise, by expanding this knowledge, it will be possible to provide greater clarity to the broader societal values of cultural heritage, with a view to refining and improving cultural heritage management and regulatory systems.