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This authoritative volume reviews the breadth of current scientific knowledge on subjective well-being (SWB): its definition, causes and consequences, measurement, and practical applications that may help people become happier. Leading experts explore the connections between SWB and a range of intrapersonal and interpersonal phenomena, including personality, health, relationship satisfaction, wealth, cognitive processes, emotion regulation, religion, family life, school and work experiences, and culture. Interventions and practices that enhance SWB are examined, with attention to both their benefits and limitations. The concluding chapter from Ed Diener dispels common myths in the field and presents a thoughtful agenda for future research.
The use of measures of economic output to guide policymaking has been criticized for decades because of their weak ties to human well-being. Recently, many scholars and politicians have called for measures of happiness or subjective well-being to be used to guide policy in people's true interests. In The Illusion of Well-Being, Mark D. White explains why using happiness as a tool for policymaking is misguided and unethical. Happiness is too vague a term to define, and too general a concept, to measure in a way that captures people's true feelings. He extends this critique to well-being in general and concludes that no measure of well-being can do justice to people's true interests, which are complex, multifaceted, and subjective. White suggests instead that policymaking be conducted according to respect and responsiveness, promoting the true interests of citizens while addressing their real needs, and devoting government resources to where they can do the most good.
Topically organized, Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Flourishing presents a highly engaging, up-to-date introduction to positive psychology. Authors William C. Compton and Edward Hoffman invite students to apply practices to their own lives, contexts, and experiences to ensure understanding. The text examines how positive psychology applies to stressors and health within such traditional research areas as developmental, clinical, personality, motivational, social, and behavioral psychology. Furthermore, the text offers perspectives on positive emotional states, research and theory on positive traits, coverage of positive institutions, and a look at the future of positive psychology. The Third Edition reflects significant growth in field with hundreds of new references and expanded content on topics including mindfulness, money and subjective well-being, and romantic love.