An interesting read about what it means to be happy, and how the pursuit of happiness may be as close as many of us get.

Happiness in America examines the search for happiness in the past 100 years. Starting with the 1920s Lawrence Samuel takes it decade by decade looking at what other speakers and writers have said about the search. The book talks about how although we all search for happiness most can’t say they found it or can control it. Happiness doesn’t come from wealth or power but may be more brain chemistry or genetic predisposition. At the end of the book it does list some things that we can concentrate on that can help lead us down the happiness path: positivism, purpose, living in the present appreciation, humbleness, kindness, generosity, patience, curiosity, faith, and love.

The author did a great job of making a case of how happiness has changed and evolved in America. This was really interesting, as so many of us look for the newest piece of advice on how to be happier and it becomes an unattainable goal.

A sociological examination into the cult of happiness in America from the 1920s until the present day.

Jefferson's premise in the Declaration of Independence that all men have the right to the "pursuit of happiness" is the springboard not only for this book but the entire enterprise of finding happiness in America. The author focuses on the past century and its quest for happiness as described in sociological studies and popular literature on the subject.

The result is a mostly depressing series of repetitions: Americans yearn for happiness, act as if they are happy, but are often unhappy; America often is not among the happiest nations; Americans are sure that happiness should come from having money or a certain lifestyle, and are flustered to continually learn that such things do not guarantee happiness; marketers and salesmen attempt to figure out what makes people happy, and more importantly how to frame products as necessary for happiness without ever fully satisfying; some wonder if happiness can ever be pinned down to any significant degree, wonder if the way we go about trying to find happiness is the problem; one even considered happiness to be a pathological condition!

In the end the emoticon on the front of the book says it all: after reading the book one is no closer to understanding happiness, although one has gained much about the Sisyphean efforts Americans put into attempting to obtain happiness through various self-help measures.

In the epilogue the author shows his cards, suggesting happiness is really an emotion one cannot control or expect to have all the time, commends joy, and gives a positivist-Stoicist list of 12 character principles and virtues which lead to joy. And so the author succumbs to the same temptations as he has documented in everyone else over the past century: an attempt to reduce a subjective moving target to a self-help checklist. Ironic.

It is an illuminating investigation into the cult of happiness in America, even if it does end up being a depressing narrative.

The Happiness industry is out of control. There are 20,000 titles available on Amazon, says author Lawrence Samuels. There are countless coaches teaching happiness. Consultants implement happiness requirements at work. There are smiley faces everywhere. Drug companies have a pill for it. And pollsters constantly take the measure of happiness. Happiness in America is Samuel’s attempt to catalog it all.

It all began with Thomas Jefferson, whose “pursuit of happiness” condemned Americans to define themselves this way. Throughout American history, writers, preachers, politicians, advertisers and common folk constantly talk about it, compare themselves to others, and are miserable. Americans do badly in international comparisons. And so it has always been.

The book seems to be a Google search gone wild. It is simply arranged chronologically, with interminable quotes from hundreds of non-experts, magazine writers, newspaper journalists and academics (who should know better), declaiming on happiness. The book is a flat collection of these musings, coming to no conclusion other than that no conclusion can be claimed. This is most unsatisfying, and it is not a happy read.

There are those who claim the whole multibillion dollar happiness industry is a sham, much like we hear about vitamin supplements and Ponzi schemes. If there’s a buck to be made, people will quickly evolve into experts to gather them in – right up to the Dalai Lama, whose own book on happiness is a foundation stone for the current mania.

Samuels doesn’t touch on it much, but there is good reason for the current batch of Americans to be less than happy. This is the first generation whose life expectancy is shorter than the previous generation. For the first time, the future is more grim than the past. Somewhere between 30 and 50 per cent of jobs are minimum wage or less, making it all but impossible to enjoy life. If education doesn’t bankrupt you, healthcare will (it is the single largest cause of bankruptcy). Opioids are an all too common alternative. And it has been repeatedly shown that the more time-saving gadgets you operate, the less happy you are. Americans consult their cellphones more than 200 times a day, and are not happier for it. Facebook is renowned for making people less happy, as everyone else appears to have a far more exciting existence.

Optimism, satisfaction and helping others are the three basic components of happiness, and all are largely missing in America. Americans as a whole are renowned for being fearful, not happy.

Samuels does not address this contraction much, well, or deeply. Instead, this Google search result is a simple recapitulation that shows happiness means something different to everyone, no one is an expert, and no science applies to it.

David Wineberg

As a person who enjoys building a contented life rather than chasing happiness via self-help books, TED Talk videos and social media self-promotion, I found the premise of Happiness in America: A Cultural History quite interesting. Has more wealth and increased social proof lead to more joyful lives? Is the mindful pursuit of happiness creating happier Americans than generations ago? It turns out that Americans relationship to the concept of happy is, and always has been, a complex one. Lawrence R. Samuel presents a first-rate account of American’s “pursuit of happiness” over the last 100 years, leaving us to beg the question: Are we shaping our own happiness or are our lofty ideas of happiness shaping us? Readers will appreciate the “12 Habits” the author provides at the end of the book as an alternative to the pursuit of du jour happiness.

I was attracted to this book because I’m currently on a positive psychology kick. This is an excellent book, loaded with references to resources that I want to explore. I won’t spoil the author’s final thoughts on happiness, but suffice to say he isn’t on board with the endless pursuit of happiness as an end goal. Nonetheless, he recommends numerous books and articles (and even some apps) that promote happiness and I added several to my Amazon wish list. In fact, as I was reading this book, I kept stopping to look up the books he was mentioning.

The author gives a history of happiness, but only of the last 100 years. I guess it would be beyond the scope of this book to go back to The Enlightenment but I would like a sequel that perhaps tackled more of ancient history. Still, the chapters succinctly cover the American view of happiness. Many common themes emerge though there are many different schools of thoughts. I was left with my own version of the “secret” of happiness, as much as one can learn the secret.