The Science of Happiness
Description
This book provides a comprehensive overview to the science of happiness research. It discusses scholarly definitions and measurements, and factors-personal, social and cultural-that reliably increase happiness throughout the life-span. Anchored in psychology, philosophy, economics and public health, the book distils hundreds of peer-reviewed studies into one lucid, teachable framework. Part I traces the idea from classical eudaimonia to modern positive psychology, then untangles more than thirty related terms-well-being, flourishing, thriving, life satisfaction and others-into a working map of key distinctions. The discussion shows why happiness remains one of the most diversely interpreted phenomena in the social sciences and why no single definition yet commands unanimous agreement. Part II presents a multilevel map of determinants, starting with personality and health, then progressing to relationships, income, culture, and the built and natural environments. The final chapter in this part evaluates evidence-based interventions, showing how current research can inform realistic, context-sensitive pathways to greater well-being-from gratitude practices and mindset trainings to policy levers aimed at housing affordability, neighborhood quality, institutional fairness, and life-course support. Each chapter weighs competing findings, flags methodological caveats and pinpoints areas of empirical convergence. Written for graduate students, researchers and reflective practitioners, this book offers conceptual rigour without sacrificing readability. Readers will finish equipped to design stronger studies, craft data-driven policies and pursue personal well-being grounded in evidence rather than myth.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Aleksandr Michelson, PhD, is the Founder and Research Director of Happy by Science OÜ in Tallinn, Estonia. He also works in public policy, contributing to applied analysis and policy development. Trained as an economist (PhD in Economics with a specialization in Business, Tallinn University of Technology), he works at the intersection of research and practice, with a focus on happiness and well-being.
Over the past decade, Michelson has led and contributed to more than 40 applied research projects for public institutions and partners. His projects examine how everyday systems people rely on, including work, social protection, education, culture, and health-related policy, shape quality of life. Earlier in his career, he worked in people operations, an experience that continues to inform his interest in workplace realities and well-being in practice. He has also taught as a visiting lecturer at Tallinn University of Technology and has published peer-reviewed research, book chapters, and applied policy reports. His writing aims to make complex evidence usable in real settings without promising one-size-fits-all answers.
Content
Introduction.- The Long History of Happiness: From Antiquity to World War II.- Postwar Turns in Happiness Science: From Positive Psychology to Policy.- Contemporary Understandings of Happiness: Concepts, Timescales, and Cultures.- The Evidence Base for Happiness: Scales, Self-Reports, and Their Limits.- Happiness and Its Conceptual Neighbors: Well-Being, Flourishing, Meaning, Fulfillment, and Quality of Life.- The Four Circles: Me, My Days, My Ties, My World.- Designing a Personal Pathway to Happiness.- The Map, Not the Destination.
