The Pursuit of Unhappiness The Elusive Psychology of Well-Being

The pursuit of happiness is a defining theme of the modern era. But what if people aren't very good at it? This and related questions are explored in this book, the first comprehensive philosophical treatment of happiness in the contemporary psychological sense. In these pages, Dan Haybron argues that people are probably less effective at judging, and promoting, their own welfare than common belief has it. For the psychological dimensions of well-being, particularly our emotional lives, are far richer and more complex than we tend to realize. Knowing one's own interests is no trivial matter. As well, we tend to make a variety of systematic errors in the pursuit of happiness. We may need, then, to rethink traditional assumptions about human nature, the good life, and the good society. Thoroughly engaged with both philosophical and scientific work on happiness and well-being, this book will be a definitive resource for philosophers, social scientists, policy makers, and other students of human well-being.

Part I: Fundamentals of Prudential Psychology. 1. Taking Socrates's Question Seriously. 2. Happiness, Well-Being, and the Good Life: A Primer. 3. What Do We Want from a Theory of Happiness? Or how to make a mongrel concept hunt. Part II: The Nature of Happiness. 4. Hedonistic Theories of Happiness. 5. Life Satisfaction Theories of Happiness. 6. Emotional State Theories of Happiness. 7. Happiness as Psychic Affirmation. Part III: The Nature of Well-Being. 8. Well-Being and Virtue. 9. Happiness, the Self, and Human Flourishing. Part IV: Pursuing Happiness. 10. Do We Know How Happy We Are?. 11. The Pursuit of Unhappiness. 12. Happiness in Context: Notes on the Good Society.

Daniel Haybron is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University. His research interests centre on several issues in ethics: well-being and the good life, moral evil, and the virtues.

Dan Haybron asks the key philosophical questions about happiness: what is happiness, and how can we know about it, and what is it good for? His book offers insightful answers that are well-grounded in both science and philosophy. The book is full of clear and rigorous arguments, but at the same time it is a pleasure to read. It will be a milestone in the philosophical discussion of happiness. ork on the topics arising in fields such as psychology and economics.