Being Happy is Big Business.

By Icy Frantz

In the last twenty years, psychologists, scientific researchers, philosophers, academics, musicians, and authors have focused their attention on a feeling that so many in America find so elusive. At Yale, you can take a course to improve your level of happiness (side note: it’s offered free online to non-students). You can read numerous books on the subject, meditate…even sing along with Pharrell Williams – Because I’m happyyyyy – and last month, you could have joined The Atlantic in an all-day online symposium entitled “In Pursuit of Happiness” (over six hours of lectures and breakout sessions – what joy! – and just in case you missed it, recorded and now available online).

And because I am interested and believe there is always room for improvement, I have dabbled and participated in many of these offerings, even the singing.

Is all this attention warranted? According to Laurie Santos, the professor at Yale who…

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