- The paradox of happiness in economics has aroused a growing interest among scholars all over the world. In affluent societies, despite an increase in their income, many people do not declare themselves happier. One explanation is that economic growth can destroy some relational goods affecting happiness: family life, friendship, love, civil participation. Such an explanation is based on a historical interpretation: marginalism, denying the economic nature of relational goods, would have overshadowed the issue of happiness in economics. In this paper I intend to reconstruct the story of an attempt neglected but remarkable first made by Menger and Böhm-Bawerk and later by Wicksteed and Robbins: an attempt to solve the problem of human relationships in economics. JEL classification: B13; D60 Keywords: Austrian school; economics and happiness.