Happiness offers myriad rewards, not just for the happy person but for his or her family, workplace, community, nation, and society. Working on how to become happier, the research suggests, will not only make a person feel better but will also boost his or her energy, creativity, and immune system, foster better relationships, fuel higher productivity at work, and even lead to a longer life.

Happiness is the Holy Grail, “the meaning and the purpose of life,” as Aristotle famously said, “the whole aim and end of human existence.

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Aristotle wrote that happiness is “an expression of the soul in considered actions,”

Freud noted that it’s a matter of lieben und arbeiten—to love and to work—and Schulz famously proclaimed, “Happiness is a warm puppy.”

Most of us, however, are well aware of what happiness is and whether we are happy. We can’t define it, but we know it when we see it.

Happiness is the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile. (Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness)

Academic researchers prefer the term subjective well-being (or simply well-being) because it sounds more scientific and does not carry the weight of centuries of historical, literary, and philosophical subtexts. However, it’s worth noting that “well-being” is a broader, more holistic construct than “happiness,” encompassing people’s physical and mental health, in addition to their emotional well-being.