Happiness in India

India is the most populous nation in the world. It has the fifth largest economy, ranked by gross domestic product. It has the largest concentration of Hindus. It is a diverse nation with more than 20 national languages. This makes India an interesting and important topic of study for wellbeing researchers. In this chapter, we discuss happiness in India by reporting data from international surveys and from a range of smaller studies conducted with Indians from a wide range of demographic backgrounds. We also provide an in-depth discussion of the links between Indian culture and happiness. Specifically, we discuss research and theory on the role that emotion and cognition play in happiness and the ways that these, in turn, are influenced by Indian cultural norms. We conclude with the suggestion that wellbeing should be emphasized as a policy objective.