ABSTRACT
The pursuit of happiness inspires much human behavior. A Gallup survey of Americans indicates that between one third and one half purchase a self-help book during their lifetime, presumably to obtain guidance on how to improve their happiness (Wood, 1988). Once a relatively small portion of the market, books focused on how people can increase their well-being can be found in libraries, bookstores, and airports, offering tangible and, in a few cases, research-supported routes to achieving happiness. While the popularizing of such literature may be relatively new, interest in happiness-and the more general concept of subjective well-being (SWB)—has been around for centuries (Oishi, Graham, Kesebir, & Galinha, 2013). Thousands of years ago, Greek philosophers discussed the importance of a content, healthy, prosperous, and good life. In the more recent past, Thomas Jefferson famously declared the pursuit of happiness to be a “self-evident” and “unalienable” right in the United States Declaration of Independence (McMahon, 2006).
