Happiness Explained: What human flourishing is and what we can do to promote it

by Paul Anand

What is human happiness and how can we promote it?

These questions are central to human existence and Happiness Explained draws on scientific research from economics, psychology, and philosophy, as well as a range of other disciplines, to outline a new paradigm in which human flourishing plays a central role in the assessment of national and global progress. It shows why the traditional national income approach is limited as a measure of human wellbeing and demonstrates how the contributors to happiness, wellbeing, and quality of life can be measured and understood across the human life course. Discussing wide-ranging aspects, from parenting, decent employment, friendship, education, and health in old age, through to money, autonomy, and fairness, as well as personal strategies and governmental polices used in the pursuit of happiness, it offers a science-based understanding of human flourishing.

Written by an economist involved in helping governmental organisations move 'beyond GDP', Happiness Explained shows how a wide range of factors that contribute to better and happier lives and how, together, they provide a new blueprint for the assessment of progress in terms of personal wellbeing.

158 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2016

Reviews

[Orhun · Rating 4 out of 5]

In contrary to popular belief, higher-income/GDP may not be so correlated to happiness.
If so, what would be a better metric to follow?

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A bureaucrat tries to explain something. This means there is no explanation to be found in all these pages. There is only text covering white pages describing a long wild goose chase made possible by throwing in names one can Google.

[Mills College Library]

330.019 A533 2016