The Oxford Handbook of Happiness

About this book

• The most comprehensive handbook on happiness ever published, exploring psychological, philosophical, evolutionary, economic, and spiritual approaches to happiness in a single volume
• Contributors are established, forward-thinking experts in their fields, resulting in a book that is a commanding and powerful review of the field
• Forwards by His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar of Bhutan and Professor Felicia Huppert, University of Cambridge, UK
• Written in a scholarly but accessible tone

In recent decades there has been a shift in focus from psychological and social problems-what might be called the "dark side" of humanity-to human well-being and flourishing. The Positive Psychology movement, along with changes in attitudes toward organisational and societal health, has generated a surge of interest in human happiness.

The Oxford Handbook of Happiness is the definitive text for researchers and practitioners interested in human happiness. Its editors and chapter contributors are world leaders in the investigation of happiness across the fields of psychology, organizational behaviour, education, philosophy, social policy and economics.

The study of happiness is at the nexus of four major scientific developments: the growing field of Positive Psychology which researches the conditions that make people flourish; advances in the biological and affective sciences which have contributed to the understanding of positive emotions; Positive Organizational Scholarship, an emerging discipline aimed at investigating and fostering excellence in organisations; and findings from economics indicating that traditional markers of economic and societal well-being are insufficient. The Oxford Handbook of Happiness offers readers a coherent, multi-disciplinary, and accessible text on the current state-of-the-art in happiness research.

This volume features ten sections that focus on psychological, philosophical, evolutionary, economic and spiritual approaches to happiness; happiness in society, education, organisations and relationships; and the assessment and development of happiness. Readers will find information on psychological constructs such as resilience, flow, and emotional intelligence; theories including broaden-and-build and self-determination; and explorations of topics including collective virtuousness, psychological capital, coaching, environmental sustainability and economic growth. This handbook will be useful to academics, practitioners, teachers, students, and all those interested in theory and research on human happiness.

Readership: Psychologists, philosophers, economists, counsellors, coaches, therapists, consultants, teachers, and students.

Table of contents

1: Introduction

Psychological Approaches
2: Joar Vittersø: Introduction to Psychological Approaches
3: Anne M. Conway, Michele M. Tugade, Lahnna I. Catalino, and Barbara L. Fredrickson: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions: Form, Function and Mechanisms
4: Dale Griffin and Richard Gonzalez: The Endowment-Contrast Model: A Lens for Happiness Research
5: Antonella Delle Fave: Past, Present and Future of Flow
6: Alia J. Crum and Peter Salovey: Emotionally Intelligent Happiness
7: David G. Myer: Religious Engagement and Well-Being
8: Patty Ferssizidis, Todd B. Kashdan, Rachel A. Marquart, and Michael F. Steger: Positive Psychological Experiences and Psychopathology: A Self-Regulatory Perspective
9: Katherine Jacobs and Sonja Lyubomirsky: The Rewards of Happiness
10: William Pavot and Ed Diener: Happiness Experienced: The Science of Subjective Well-Being

Psychological Definitions
11: Joar Vittersø: Introduction to Psychological Definitions
12: Ruut Veenhoven: Notions of the Good Life
13: Felicity F. Miao, Minkyung Koo, and Shigehiro Oishi: Subjective Well-Being
14: Robert A. Cummins: Measuring Happiness and Subjective Well-Being
15: Veronika Huta: Eudaimonia
16: Christopher P. Niemiec and Richard M. Ryan: What makes for a life well lived? Autonomy and its relation to full functioning and organismic wellness
17: Joar Vittersø: Functional Well-Being: Happiness as Feelings, Evaluations, and Functioning

Philosophical Approaches to Happiness
18: James O. Pawelski: Introduction to Philosophical Contributions to the Study of Happiness
19: Darrin M. McMahon: The Pursuit of Happiness in History
20: Philip J. Ivanhoe: Happiness in Early Chinese Thought
21: Emmy van Deurzen: Continental Contributions to our Understanding of Happiness and Suffering
22: Raymond Angelo Belliotti: The Seductions of Happiness
23: Daniel M. Haybron: The Nature and Significance of Happiness
24: Valerie Tiberius: Philosophical Methods in Happiness Research
25: James O. Pawelski: Happiness and Its Opposites

Spiritual Approaches to Happiness
26: Jane Henry: Introduction to Spiritual Approaches to Happiness
27: Matthieu Ricard: A Buddhist View of Happiness
28: Maurits G.T. Kwee: Relational Buddhism: An Integrative Psychology of Happiness amidst Existential Suffering
29: Kiran Kumar K. Salagame: Well-being from the Hindu/Sanãtana Dharma Perspective
30: Peter Malinowski: Flourishing through Meditation and Mindfulness
31: Annette Mahoney, Kenneth I. Pargament, and Krystal M. Hernandez: Heaven on Earth: Beneficial Effects of Sanctification for Individual and Interpersonal Well-being
32: Jane Henry: Quieting the Mind and Low Arousal Routes to Happiness

Happiness and Society
33: Introduction to Happiness and Society
34: Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer: Economics and the Study of Individual Happiness
35: William Tov & Evelyn W.M. Au: Comparing Well-Being Across Nations: Conceptual and Empirical Issues
36: Dimitris Ballas and Danny Dorling: The Geography of Happiness
37: Aaron Ahuvia and Elif Izberk-Bilgin: Well-Being in Consumer Societies
38: Sam Thompson, Nic Marks, and Tim Jackson: Well-being and Sustainable Development
39: Geoff Mulgan: Well-being and Public Policy

Positive education: Bringing happiness to children and young people
40: Ilona Boniwell and Nash Popovic: Introduction to Positive education: Bringing happiness to children and young people
41: John White: Education and Well-being
42: Nash Popovic: Should education have happiness lessons?
43: Toni Noble and Helen McGrath: Wellbeing and resilience in education
44: Jennifer M. Fox Eades, Carmel Proctor, and Martin Ashley: Happiness in the Classroom
45: Laura McInerney: Applying Happiness and Well-Being Research to the Teaching and Learning Process
46: Jane E. Gillham, Rachel M. Abenavoli, Steven M. Brunwasser, Karen J. Reivich, and Martin E. P. Seligman: Resilience Education
47: Robert J. Sternberg: Teaching for Wisdom
48: Ian Morris: Going beyond the accidental: Happiness, education, and the Wellington College Experience
49: Matthew A. White: Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School

Happiness and Organizations
50: Arran Caza and Kim Cameron: An Introduction to Happiness and Organizations
51: Kim S. Cameron and Arran Caza: Virtuousness as a Source of Happiness in Organizations
52: Brianna Caza and Amy Wrzesniewski: How Work Shapes Well-Being
53: Ben J Searle and Sharon K Parker: Work Design and Happiness: An Active, Reciprocal Perspective
54: Peter Warr: Jobs and Job-Holders: Two Sources of Happiness and Unhappiness
55: Carolyn M. Youssef and Fred Luthans: Managing Psychological Capital in Organizations: Cognitive, Affective, Conative and Social Mechanisms of Happiness
56: Laura Morgan Roberts: Reflected Best Self Engagement at Work: Positive Identity, Alignment, and the Pursuit of Vitality and Value Creation
57: Thomas A. Wright: Encouraging Employee Happiness
58: James Campbell Quick and Jonathan D. Quick: Executive Well-Being

Relationships and Happiness
59: Meliksah Demir: Section Introduction: Relationships and Happiness
60: Shimon Saphire-Bernstein and Shelley E. Taylor: Close Relationships and Happiness
61: Mario Mikulincer and Phillip R. Shaver: Adult Attachment and Happiness: Individual Differences in the Experience and Consequences of Positive Emotions
62: Brian Lakey: Perceived Social Support and Happiness: The Role of Personality and Relational Processes
63: Meliksah Demir, Haley Orthel, and Adrian Keith Andelin: Friendship and Happiness

Development, Stability and Change of Happiness
64: Kate Hefferon: Introduction to Development, Stability and Change of Happiness
65: Sarah E. Hill, Danielle DelPriore, & Brett Major: An Evolutionary Psychological Perspective on Happiness
66: Bruce Headey: Set-Point Theory May Now Need Replacing: Death of a Paradigm*?
67: Kennon M. Sheldon, Julia Boehm, and Sonja Lyubomirsky: Variety is the Spice of Happiness: The Hedonic Adaptation Prevention (HAP) Model
68: Corey L. M. Keyes: Promotion and Protection of Positive Mental Health: Towards Complete Mental Health in Human Development
69: Stephen Joseph and Kate Hefferon: Post-traumatic Growth: Eudaimonic Happiness in the Aftermath of Adversity
70: Michael F. Steger, Anna Beebya, and Samantha Garrett, and Todd B. Kashdan: Creating a Stable Architectural Framework of Existence: Proposing a Model of Lifelong Meaning

Happiness Interventions
71: Gordon B. Spence and Suzy L. Green: Introduction to Happiness Interventions
72: Acacia C. Parks, Stephen M. Schueller, and Arber Tasimi: Increasing Happiness in the General Population: Empirically Supported Self-Help?
73: Tayyab Rashid: Positive Psychology in Practice: Positive Psychotherapy
74: Louise Hayes: Happiness in Valued Living: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a Model for Change
75: Gordon B. Spence and Anthony M. Grant: Coaching and Well-Being: A Brief Review of Existing Evidence, Relevant Theory and Implications for Practitioners
76: Laura M. Hsu, and Ellen J. Langer: Mindfulness and Cultivating Well-Being in Older Adults
77: Giovanni A. Fava and Chiara Ruini: Well-Being Therapy: Theoretical Background, Clinical Implications and Future Directions
78: Lindsay G. Oades, Trevor P. Crowe and Frank P. Deane: The Collaborative Recovery Model: Developing Positive Institutions to Facilitate Recovery in Enduring Mental Illness

79: Conclusion