The Science of Happiness: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

This chapter explores whether or not, and if so to what extent, science can generate accurate conclusions about the nature of happiness and the degree to which these are applicable across cultures. In order to conduct any satisfactory investigation into the subject of happiness, one must first settle on a specific notion of what happiness means. After considering what I take to be the three primary accounts of happiness offered in the psychological and philosophical literature, I argue that the hedonistic conception of happiness is best suited for studying happiness in a scientific and cross-cultural context. One of the strengths of the hedonistic account of happiness is that it is well suited for making comparisons of wellbeing among different populations whose language and cultural differences have often made such comparisons difficult. With this understanding of happiness at our disposal, I discuss some of the specific conclusions about happiness that we can draw from several empirical science disciplines including psychology, evolutionary theory and neuroscience. Finally, I discuss how part of the importance of a well-grounded science of happiness derives from the promise it holds for facilitating more effective decisions about public policy and social organization.