Science Of Happiness Research Articles

Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index.

Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index.

Eudology: The science of happiness

Aristot le c la imed that we h u m a n s are by na ture goal -or iented [1]. By na ture we seek to enjoy good and avoid evil. Aristotle used the t e rm e u d a e m o n i a to refer to the highest good that good which is perfect , complete , and endur ing , that good which domina te s our lives in pursu i t of it. E u d a e m o n i a literally m e a n s g o o d sp i r i t ( e u + d a e m o n ) and is usual ly t rans la ted into English by means of h a p p i n e s s , for it is by h a p p i n e s s that we refer to that ideal state of m i n d and affairs which every person wants . Since the suffix o l o g y indicates the s tudy or science of the referent of the root to which it is appended , I p ropose e u d o l o g y to s tand tbr the s tudy or science of happiness . Strictly speaking, e u d a e m o n o l o g y would be more accurate , but i t 's too m u c h of a mouthfu l . E u d o l o g y is adequate .

Book Reviews

Abstract The Art of Curative Gymnastics. By Tell Berggren, M. D., Lecturer on Swedish Gymnastics, Orthopedics, Gymnastic Nomenclature and Kinesiology at the Normal School of Physical Education, Battle Creek, Mich. Published by the Good Health Publishing Co., Battle Creek, Mich. 1910. 7 by 10 inches. 119 pp. Price, $1.00. A Manual of Personal Hygiene: Proper Living Upon a Physiologic Basis. By Eminent Specialists. Edited by Walter L. Pyle, M. D., Assistant Surgeon to the Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia. Fourth Revised Edition. 5 by 8 inches. 472 pp. Illustrated. Philadelphia and London, W. B. Saunders Company. 1910. Cloth. $1.00 net. Essentials of Medicine. A Text Book of Medicine. For students beginning a medical course, for nurses, and all others interested in the care of the sick. By Charles Phillips Emerson, M. D., Late Resident Physician, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Associate in Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University; Superintendent Clifton Springs Sanitarium, New York. Published by J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia and London. 1908. 5 by 9 inches. 372 pp. Illustrated. Open Air Schools. By Leonard P. Ayres, Ph. D., Associate Director Department of Child Hygiene, Russell Sage Foundation. Published by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York. 1910. 5 by 8 inches. 171 pp. $1.20 net (postage 12c). Illustrated. Making Life Worth While. A Book on Health–and More. By Herbert Wescott Fisher. Published by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York. 1910. 5 by 7 1/2 inches. 318 pp. $1.20 net (postage 12c). The Scienceof Happiness. By Henry Smith Williams, M. D., LL. D., author of “A History of Science.” Published by Harper & Bros. 1909. 6 by 9 inches. 350 pp. $2.00 net. Three Hundred Games and Pastimes. By E. V. Lucas and E. Lucas. Published by The Macmillan Co., New York. 6 by 8 inches. 390 pp. Illustrated. $2.00 net. Manual of Educational Calisthenics and Games. For the Public Schools of Kansas City. Arranged by F. Burger, M. D., Supervisor of Physical Culture, Kansas City, Mo. Paper. 258 pp. 8 by 6 inches. 1909. Bacteria in Relation to Country Life. By Jacob G. Lipman, A. M., Ph. D. Published by The Macmillan Company, New York City. 12mo. 486 pages. $1.50. Housing Reform. By Lawrence Veiller. Charities Publication Committee, New York. 1910. 12mo. 213 pp. Price, $1.25.

The Science of Happiness

THIS mieht well be given the still wider title of “The Art of Living,” for it concerns itself with human activity of all kinds. It is a pleasantly written series of papers on such topics as how to eat, how to sleep, how to think, and even how to die, and, though a trifle diffuse and flat—revealing the fluent writer with not much that is original to say—it contains much wisdom of an everyday kind, and many apt quotations to spice up the text.