From Bookmarks Magazine
Reviewers agree that Layard, a leading British economist and well-known government advisor, raises fundamentally important questions that we all tend to ignore in our strivings to achieve on a daily basis. The author supplies ample data to show that capitalism’s emphasis on individualism and competition has helped to diminish the feeling of a common good among people of different classes and societies. The critics disagree, however, on Layard’s recommendation of state- and church-oriented intervention to reverse the patterns of behavior that are not, in so many eyes, contributing to happiness. Since "happiness studies" is a new science (see Gregg Easterbrook’s The Progress Paradox *** Mar/Apr 2004), it stands to reason that the early tomes of this philosophy would stir controversy. Just don’t let it dampen your day.Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.


Book Description
There is a paradox at the heart of our lives. We all want more money, but as societies become richer, they do not become happier. This is not speculation: It's the story told by countless pieces of scientific research. We now have sophisticated ways of measuring how happy people are, and all the evidence shows that on average people have grown no happier in the last fifty years, even as average incomes have more than doubled.

The central question the great economist Richard Layard asks in Happiness is this: If we really wanted to be happier, what would we do differently? First we'd have to see clearly what conditions generate happiness and then bend all our efforts toward producing them. That is what this book is about-the causes of happiness and the means we have to effect it.

Until recently there was too little evidence to give a good answer to this essential question, but, Layard shows us, thanks to the integrated insights of psychology, sociology, applied economics, and other fields, we can now reach some firm conclusions, conclusions that will surprise you. Happiness is an illuminating road map, grounded in hard research, to a better, happier life for us all.

From one of the leading voices in the new field of happiness studies comes a groundbreaking statement of the case: what happiness is, exactly, and how to get more of it, as individuals and as a society


About the Author
Richard Layard is one of Britain's best-known economists and a leading world expert on unemployment and inequality. He runs Europe's leading economics research center within the London School of Economics. He worked for the British government as an economic adviser from 1997 to 2001, and in 2000 he became a member of the House of Lords. He is the author of a number of academic books.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"If we really want to be happier, what should we do differently? First we'd have to understand what conditions generate actual happiness, and then we would bend all our efforts to establish them. That is what this book is about - the causes of happiness and the means we have to affect it." Until recently there was too little evidence to give good answers on this essential issue, but now, thanks to the integrated insights of psychology, neuroscience, sociology and applied economics, the distinguished economist Richard Layard shows us that we can reach some firm conclusions about the causes of happiness - conclusions that will surprise you. Happiness is an illuminating road map, grounded in hard research, pointing the way to a better, happier life for us all.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Layard, a leading British economist and member of the House of Lords, draws on research in economics, history, medicine, philosophy, psychology, and public life to answer the question of what happiness is, exactly, and how to get more of it. He offers insights into the roles of income, health, and values before concluding that happiness is worth pursuing on the personal and the global community level. To that end, suggestions are offered, e.g., introduce more family-friendly practices at work, eliminate high unemployment, and prohibit advertising to children. Concise and engaging, this makes an ideal purchase for both public and academic libraries. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Thomas Lewis