The Metrics of Happiness: The Art and Science of Measuring Personal Happiness and Societal Wellbeing (Social Indicators Research Series, 86)

This book provides a comprehensive treatment of how happiness and wellbeing are measured. It presents an accessible summary of the philosophy, methodology, and applicability of the various measurement techniques that have been generated by the leaders of the happiness movement. It traces the history of development of the core ideas, and clarifies the unexpectedly wide range of techniques that are used. The book provides an unbiased assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and differentiates the contributions that have been made by psychologists, economists, environmentalists, and health scientists. It examines applications at a personal scale, in the workplace, at a societal scale, and on the world stage. It does so in an easy-to-read anecdotal writing style that will appeal to a wide range of academic and lay readers who enjoy popularized non-fiction that address matters of social concern. Acknowledgements Contents List of Tables Untitled Untitled Untitled Untitled Part I: The Multi-faceted World of Happiness and Wellbeing Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Concepts and Ideas Measuring the Unmeasurable What About the Dow-Jones and the GDP? The Four Fountainheads The Human Desire for Quantification Happiness and Wellbeing Defined and Differentiated Hedonic and Eudaimonic Happiness A Little History The Kingdom of Bhutan The Hierarchy of Scales of Study Human Wellbeing and Ecosystem Wellbeing Subjective and Objective Measures Indicators and Indexes Self-Help, Inc. Put on a Happy Face Outline of the Book References Chapter 2: The Positive Psychology Movement Half-Baked Psychology The DSM Humanistic Psychology Subjective Wellbeing Strengths and Virtues Mindfulness Hygge and Ikagai Convergence References Chapter 3: The Social Indicators Movement The Dow-Jones and the GDP Gini Coefficients and One-Percenters A Little History Commodities and Capabilities A Revolution in Economics Key National Indicators The Sarkozy Commission Social Capital The Dissenters Economics As If People Mattered References Chapter 4: The Sustainability Movement The Environmental Externalities Sustainable Development Ecological Economics and Environmental Economics The Three Pillars The Bellagio Principles Sustainable Development Goals IPAT and the Ecological Footprint Time Horizon, Discount Rates, and Future Generations The Skeptics References Chapter 5: Happiness Studies in the Biological and Medical Sciences Emotions, Moods and Temperament Medical Research and Happiness Raging Hormones Neurotransmitters: The Great Facilitators of Life Uppers, Downers and All-Arounders Hedonic Hot Spots in the Brain The Genetics of Happiness and Set-Point Theory Twins Genes and Alleles Health and Happiness Health-Related Quality of Life References Part II: Eudaimetrics Chapter 6: The Assessment of Personal Happiness and Life Satisfaction Polls, Surveys and Questionnaires The World Database of Happiness We Feel Fine Core Questions, Likert Scales, and the Cantril Ladder of Life Multiple-Question Scales and Questionnaires Measures of Affect Daily Record Methods The OECD Guidelines Issues and Problems with Polls and Questionnaires So How Happy Are We? Correlations and Connections Does Money Buy Happiness? Is Happiness Relative? Interventions and Prescriptions for Personal Happiness References Chapter 7: The Dimensions of Communal Wellbeing How Many Dimensions? An Eight-Dimensional Template The Question of Perspective Composite Indexes A Ten-Step Scenario for Developing a Composite Index The Question of Aggregation The Question of Weighting References Chapter 8: The Building Blocks of Communal Wellbeing Single-Dimensional Indexes Economic Indexes Detailed Example: Index of Economic Well-Being Indexes of Governance Security and Safety Indexes Social Indexes Detailed Example: Index of Social Health Educational Indexes Health Indexes Environmental Indexes Indexes of Infrastructure and Technology Weaknesses and Annoyances A Summary of Results for the USA and Canada References Chapter 9: The Wellbeing of Nations Multi-dimensional Composite Indexes of Nationwide Communal Wellbeing The Forerunners The Human Development Index World Happiness Report The Quality of Life Index Happy Life Years The Happy Planet Index The Genuine Progress Indicator The Canadian Index of Wellbeing The Weighted Index of Social Progress Gross National Happiness Index: American Version Gross National Happiness Index: Bhutanese Version The Better Life Index The Prosperity Index US News and World Report Best Country Rankings The Wellbeing Index The Good Country Index Summary of Country Rankings The Questions of Normalization, Aggregation, and Weighting: Reprise The Question of Information Content Relative to the Per-Capita GDP The Question of Diversity The Question of Cultural Bias Comparative Analyses A Summary of Critical Issues References Chapter 10: The Livability of Cities Livable Cities A Little History Dimensions and Indicator Variables for the Livability of Cities Where Do the Data Come From? Some Single-Dimensional City-Scale Indexes A Selection of Multi-dimensional Composite Indexes on the Livability of Cities Summary of City Rankings City Ranking Skeptics The Community Indicator Movement A Roster of City-Based Community Indicator Projects Regional and Statewide Indicator Projects The Smart Cities Movement Happy Cities The Civil Society Movement The Ends of the Earth References Chapter 11: Satisfaction in the Workplace Work and Wellbeing Workplace Satisfaction from the Employee Perspective Satisfaction and Engagement The Measurement of Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Consultant Services in Job Satisfaction Best and Worst Places to Work Some Statistics on Workplace Satisfaction and Engagement Stress in the Workplace Employee Harassment Work-Life Balance The Gig Economy The Employer Perspective: Job Satisfaction and the Bottom Line Workplace Wellbeing Programs Values-Driven Business The Educational Milieu The Military References Part III: Nexus Chapter 12: Policy, Politics and Happiness The Social Indicators Creed Reservations Can Government Policy Increase Happiness? Is Happiness Policy Ideologically Neutral? What Are the Appropriate Goals of Government Policy with Respect to Happiness and Wellbeing? Cost-Benefit Analysis The Role of Social Indicators in the Policy Cycle The Political Power of Happiness Examples of Policy Issues That Can Benefit from Happiness Studies The Effectiveness of Multi-dimensional Indexes of Wellbeing in the Policy Domain Where, What, How, and Why Not? Welfare Spending and Happiness The Future References Appendix: Data Sources (Table A.1)