Oxford Handbook of Happiness

In recent decades there has been a shift in focus from psychological and social problems-what might be called the "dark side" of humanity-to human well-being and flourishing. The Positive Psychology movement, along with changes in attitudes toward organisational and societal health, has generated a surge of interest in human happiness. The Oxford Handbook of Happiness is the definitive text for researchers and practitioners interested in human happiness. Its editors and chapter contributors are world leaders in the investigation of happiness across the fields of psychology, organizational behaviour, education, philosophy, social policy and economics. The study of happiness is at the nexus of four major scientific developments: the growing field of Positive Psychology which researches the conditions that make people flourish; advances in the biological and affective sciences which have contributed to the understanding of positive emotions; Positive Organizational Scholarship, an emerging discipline aimed at investigating and fostering excellence in organisations; and findings from economics indicating that traditional markers of economic and societal well-being are insufficient. The Oxford Handbook of Happiness offers readers a coherent, multi-disciplinary, and accessible text on the current state-of-the-art in happiness research. This volume features ten sections that focus on psychological, philosophical, evolutionary, economic and spiritual approaches to happiness; happiness in society, education, organisations and relationships; and the assessment and development of happiness. Readers will find information on psychological constructs such as resilience, flow, and emotional intelligence; theories including broaden-and-build and self-determination; and explorations of topics including collective virtuousness, psychological capital, coaching, environmental sustainability and economic growth. This handbook will be useful to academics, practitioners, teachers, students, and all those interested in theory and research on human happiness. A remarkable achievement in that it covers most of the basic contemporary knowledge about happiness as well as giving glimpses of more advanced and specific findings. ... The perfect resource for any student intent on studying happiness and any experienced researcher who wants to enter the field of happiness studies. International Journal of Wellbeing The Oxford Handbook of Happiness offers a compelling case for adding happiness sciences to this growing list of new configurations. PsychCritiques1. Introduction ; SECTION 1: PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO HAPPINESS ; 2. Introduction to Psychological Approaches to Happiness ; 3. The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions: Form, Function and Mechanisms ; 4. The Endowment-Contrast Model: A Lens for Happiness Research ; 5. Past, Present and Future of Flow ; 6. Emotionally Intelligent Happiness ; 7. Religious Engagement and Well-Being ; 8. Positive Psychological Experiences and Psychopathology: A Self-Regulatory Perspective ; 9. The Rewards of Happiness ; 10. Happiness Experienced: The Science of Subjective Well-Being ; SECTION 2: PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS OF HAPPINESS ; 11. Introduction to Psychological Definitions Of Happiness ; 12. Notions of the Good Life ; 13. Subjective Well-Being ; 14. Measuring Happiness and Subjective Well-Being ; 15. Eudaimonia ; 16. What Makes for a Life Well Lived?: Autonomy and its relation to full functioning and organismic wellness ; 17. Functional Well-Being: Happiness as feelings, evaluations, and functioning ; SECTION 3: PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACHES TO HAPPINESS ; 18. Introduction to Philosophical Approaches to Happiness ; 19. The Pursuit of Happiness in History ; 20. Happiness in Early Chinese Thought ; 21. Continental Contributions to our Understanding of Happiness and Suffering ; 22. The Seductions of Happiness ; 23. The Nature and Significance of Happiness ; 24. Philosophical Methods in Happiness Research ; 25. Happiness and its Opposites ; SECTION 4: SPIRITUAL APPROACHES TO HAPPINESS ; 26. Introduction to Spiritual Approaches to Happiness ; 27. A Buddhist View of Happiness ; 28. Relational Buddhism: An integrative psychology of happiness amidst existential suffering ; 29. Well-being from the Hindu/Sanatana Dharma Perspective ; 30. Flourishing Through Meditation and Mindfulness ; 31. Heaven on Earth: beneficial effects of sanctification for individual and interpersonal wll-being ; 32. Quieting the Mind and Low Arousal Routes to Happiness ; SECTION 5: HAPPINESS AND SOCIETY ; 33. Introduction to Happiness and Society ; 34. Economics and the Study of Individual Happiness ; 35. Comparing Well-Being Across Nations: Conceptual and empirical issues ; 36. The Geography of Happiness ; 37. Well-Being in Consumer Societies ; 38. Well-being and Sustainable Development ; 39. Well-being and Public Policy ; SECTION 6: POSITIVE EDUCATION ; INTRODUCTION TO POSITIVE EDUCATION ; 41. Education and Well-being ; 42. Should Education have Happiness Lessons? ; 43. Wellbeing and Resilience in Education ; 44. Happiness in the Classroom ; 45. Applying Happiness and Well-Being Research to the Teaching and Learning Process ; 46. Resilience Education ; 47. Teaching for Wisdom ; 48. Going Beyond the Accidental: Happiness, education, and the Wellington College Experience ; 49. Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School ; SECTION 7: HAPPINESS AND ORGANIZATIONS ; 50. An Introduction to Happiness and Organizations ; 51. Virtuousness as a Source of Happiness in Organizations ; 52. How Work Shapes Well-Being ; 53. Work Design and Happiness: An Active, Reciprocal Perspective ; 54. Jobs and Job-Holders: Two Sources of Happiness and Unhappiness ; 55. Managing Psychological Capital in Organizations: Cognitive, affective, conative and social mechanisms of happiness ; 56. Reflected Best Self Engagement at Work: Positive identity, alignment, and the pursuit of vitality and value creation ; 57. Encouraging Employee Happiness ; 58. Executive Well-Being ; SECTION 8: RELATIONSHIPS AND HAPPINESS ; 59. Introduction to Relationships and Happiness ; 60. Close Relationships and Happiness ; 61. Adult Attachment and Happiness: Individual differences in the experience and consequences of positive emotions ; 62. Perceived Social Support and Happiness: The role of personality and relational processes ; 63. Friendship and happiness ; SECTION 9: DEVELOPMENT, STABILITY AND CHANGE OF HAPPINESS ; 64. Introduction to Development, Stability and Change of Happiness ; 65. An Evolutionary Psychological Perspective on Happiness ; 66. Set-Point Theory May Now Need Replacing: Death of a paradigm? ; 67. Variety is the Spice of Happiness: The hedonic adaptation prevention (HAP) model ; 68. Promotion and Protection of Positive Mental Health: Towards complete mental health in human development ; 69. Post-traumatic Growth: Eudaimonic Happiness in the Aftermath of Adversity ; 70. Creating a Stable Architectural Framework of Existence: Proposing a Model of Lifelong Meaning ; SECTION 10: HAPPINESS INTERVENTIONS ; 71. Introduction to Happiness Interventions ; 72. Increasing Happiness in the General Population: Empirically Supported Self-Help? ; 73. Positive Psychology in Practice: Positive psychotherapy ; 74. Happiness in Valued Living: Acceptance and commitment therapy as a model for change ; 75. Coaching and Well-Being: A brief review of existing evidence, relevant theory and implications for practitioners ; 76. Mindfulness and Cultivating Well-Being in Older Adults ; 77. Well-Being Therapy: Theoretical background, clinical implications and future directions ; 78. The Collaborative Recovery Model: Developing positive institutions to facilitate recovery in enduring mental illness ; 79. Conclusion: The future of happiness