Editor's Introduction

Abstract

PER IO D ICA LLY W E DEVOTE AN ISSU E OF SOCIAL RESEARCH TO A concept th a t figures im portan tly in bo th our private and public lives and abou t w hich m uch has been w ritten . In th e last 10 years, we have published issues on “M artyrdom, Self Sacrifice, and Self Denial,” “Fairness,” “Busyness,” “Courage,” and “Sham e.” These issues have in com m on a concern for how th e m eanings o f these key concepts may change over tim e and how th e ir im portance m ay wax and wane. For our sum m er 2010 issue, we have chosen “H appiness” as our subject. Like th e them es th a t preceded it, “H appiness” has been cen tral to discussions o f our public and private lives from as long ago as th e ancien t Greeks. In fact, happiness is, o f course, w hat all U.S. citizens are given the righ t to pursue even if we are no t certain o f ju st w hat it is we are pursuing. It is w hat Aristotle believed was the proper end of life—“Happiness is the m eaning and th e purpose o f life, th e whole aim and end of h um an existence”—and it is th e basis o f th e proper state according to Bentham: “The greatest happiness o f th e greatest num ber is the foundation o f m orals and legislation.” In recent years, efforts to m easure happiness have m ultiplied a hundredfold and are flourishing in the fields o f economics and psychol­ ogy, am ong others. There is even a Gross International Happiness proj­ ect tha t, w ith its roots in Bhutan, involves institu tions in countries all over the world. The aim of the GIH project is to develop m easures o f a country’s well-being th a t go far beyond sim ply its gross national prod­ uct and per capita income to include m easures o f the quality o f the lives o f individuals. This effort is driven at least in part by the finding o f an alm ost com plete disconnect betw een the rise in the standard o f living and reported happiness.