The ancients were the first to see happiness as the primary goal of human existence. Should this prove to be accurate—a claim that is much more contentious than it first appears—happiness would then emerge as the central theoretical construct in psychology and unquestionably the most pressing personal dilemma facing any individual. Furthermore, pleasure becomes a central factor in economic and political decision-making. If the goal of individual life is to maximize happiness, then the goal of political and economic institutions should be to promote happiness in the group or as a whole.

This kind of utilitarianism is always appealing. Recently, the government of Bhutan, a Himalayan monarchy, declared that public policy in that country will aim to raise Gross National Happiness rather than Gross National Product. The Bhutanese have a point. Contented individuals tend to live longer and have lower susceptibility to illness. Furthermore, happiness persists in different countries, among wealthy and poor, and between married and unmarried people.

The Bhutanese approach, however enlightened it may seem, raises doubts right away. Can civic action affect people's happiness? Now that I think about it, is there any way to fix it? If so, how? Furthermore, how ought the Gross National Happiness to be measured? The early utilitarian’s understood that to carry out their plan, a pedometer—a device for measuring happiness—was needed. Of course, there is no such equipment.

We may inquire about people's happiness levels. As we will see, this proves to be a remarkably illuminating exercise. Happiness, however, is experienced in many ways. Its purpose in the phrase "I was happy to see Bob" could vary somewhat from that of the statement "I was happy with the government's foreign policy." Therefore, a vast lot of empirical research on people's attitudes about happiness and how that emotion relates to life quality would need to be done before we could utilize assessments of happiness as a benchmark for public life. Psychologists have been working on this project for the last several decades, and this book will cover the fascinating findings. Certain forms of happiness can be easier to measure than others, and some might even be more worthwhile to pursue than others.

The focus of chapters three and four is on the subject of why some individuals seem to be happier than others: do happy people attract good things in their lives, or do happy people attract good things in their lives? Evidence that people's long-term levels of happiness are influenced by their thoughts and beliefs at least as much as by the actual conditions of their lives will become apparent. The interaction of neuronal circuits that have evolved over millions of years gives rise to the sensation of well-being. Positive and negative emotions in men and mice are regulated by distinct brain circuits that react to environmental cues such as rewards, dangers, and status. There are differences between the systems governing desire and pleasure. This is a crucial lesson: ambition psychology differs from satisfaction psychology. Not everything we desire is what we enjoy or what we want to have.