The Happiness Industry

The Happiness Industry PDF Author: William Davies
Publisher: Verso Books
ISBN: 1781688478
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
“Deeply researched and pithily argued.” —New York Magazine “A brilliant, and sometimes eerie, dissection” of ‘the science of happiness’ and the modern-day commercialization of our most private emotions (Vice) Why are we so obsessed with measuring happiness? In winter 2014, a Tibetan monk lectured the world leaders gathered at Davos on the importance of Happiness. The recent DSM-5, the manual of all diagnosable mental illnesses, for the first time included shyness and grief as treatable diseases. Happiness has become the biggest idea of our age, a new religion dedicated to well-being. Here, political economist William Davies shows how this philosophy, first pronounced by Jeremy Bentham in the 1780s, has dominated the political debates that have delivered neoliberalism. From a history of business strategies of how to get the best out of employees, to the increased level of surveillance measuring every aspect of our lives; from why experts prefer to measure the chemical in the brain than ask you how you are feeling, to why Freakonomics tells us less about the way people behave than expected, The Happiness Industry is an essential guide to the marketization of modern life. Davies shows that the science of happiness is less a science than an extension of hyper-capitalism.

The Happiness Agenda

The Happiness Agenda PDF Author: S. Burnett
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230348416
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Explores why contemporary Anglo-American society is obsessed with happiness. Striving to be happy is now a morally imperative pursuit. Through the lens of novel social theory, this book explicates how this has transpired as consequence of a complex 'conspiracy of coordination' between political, organisational and psychological developments.

The Happiness Industry

The Happiness Industry PDF Author: William Davies
Publisher: Verso Books
ISBN: 1781688478
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
“Deeply researched and pithily argued.” —New York Magazine “A brilliant, and sometimes eerie, dissection” of ‘the science of happiness’ and the modern-day commercialization of our most private emotions (Vice) Why are we so obsessed with measuring happiness? In winter 2014, a Tibetan monk lectured the world leaders gathered at Davos on the importance of Happiness. The recent DSM-5, the manual of all diagnosable mental illnesses, for the first time included shyness and grief as treatable diseases. Happiness has become the biggest idea of our age, a new religion dedicated to well-being. Here, political economist William Davies shows how this philosophy, first pronounced by Jeremy Bentham in the 1780s, has dominated the political debates that have delivered neoliberalism. From a history of business strategies of how to get the best out of employees, to the increased level of surveillance measuring every aspect of our lives; from why experts prefer to measure the chemical in the brain than ask you how you are feeling, to why Freakonomics tells us less about the way people behave than expected, The Happiness Industry is an essential guide to the marketization of modern life. Davies shows that the science of happiness is less a science than an extension of hyper-capitalism.

Against Happiness

Against Happiness PDF Author: Owen Flanagan
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231557965
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 158

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Book Description
The “happiness agenda” is a worldwide movement that claims that happiness is the highest good, happiness can be measured, and public policy should promote happiness. Against Happiness is a thorough and powerful critique of this program, revealing the flaws of its concept of happiness and advocating a renewed focus on equality and justice. Written by an interdisciplinary team of authors, this book provides both theoretical and empirical analysis of the limitations of the happiness agenda. The authors emphasize that this movement draws on a parochial, Western-centric philosophical basis and demographic sample. They show that happiness defined as subjective satisfaction or a surplus of positive emotions bears little resemblance to the richer and more nuanced concepts of the good life found in many world traditions. Cross-cultural philosophy, comparative theology, and social and cultural psychology all teach that cultures and subcultures vary in how much value they place on life satisfaction or feeling happy. Furthermore, the ideas promoted by the happiness agenda can compete with rights, justice, sustainability, and equality—and even conceal racial and gender injustice. Against Happiness argues that a better way forward requires integration of cross-cultural philosophical, ethical, and political thought with critical social science. Ultimately, the authors contend, happiness should be a secondary goal—worth pursuing only if it is contingent on the demands of justice.

UAE

UAE PDF Author: Melodena Stephens
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing
ISBN: 1787147150
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 414

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Book Description
This book can be used to teach public policy and help international industry leaders and academics understand the context of UAE and the role it plays in the global arena. This project is a series by the Academy of International Business - MENA chapter, supported by the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, Dubai.

Agenda for a New Economy

Agenda for a New Economy PDF Author: David C. Korten
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1605093769
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
Nearly two years after the economic meltdown, joblessness and foreclosures are still endemic, Wall Street executives are once again getting massive bonuses, and our leaders in Washington lack the will to make desperately needed fundamental changes to the economy. Change will have to come from below. Agenda for a New Economy is the handbook for that revolution. In this revised and updated edition David Korten has fleshed out his vision of the alternative to the corporate Wall Street economy: a Main Street economy based on locally owned, community-oriented “living enterprises” whose success is measured as much by their positive impact on people and the environment as by their positive balance sheet. We will lose nothing in the process because, as Korten ably demonstrates, the supposed services Wall Street offers are simply a con game. And Korten now offers more in-depth advice on how to mount a grassroots campaign to bring about an economy based on shared prosperity, ecological stewardship, and citizen democracy.

The Happiness Policy Handbook

The Happiness Policy Handbook PDF Author: Laura Musikanski
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 1771423137
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Build a better society through happiness policy Thomas Jefferson said that “the purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness.” Yet only now, 270 years later, is the happiness of citizens starting to be taken seriously as the purpose of government. While happiness science is advancing rapidly, and governments and organizations are creating indices for measuring happiness, there is little practical information on how to create policy to advance happiness. Drawing from a deep well of expertise and experience, The Happiness Policy Handbook is the first step-by-step guide for integrating happiness into government policy at all levels. Coverage includes: A concise background on happiness science, indices and indicators, and happiness in public policy Tools for formulating happiness policy and integrating happiness into administrative functions A concept menu of happiness policies Communicating happiness policy objectives to media and engaging with the community A happiness policy screening tool for evaluating the happiness contribution of any policy Policy perspectives from seasoned experts across sectors. The Happiness Policy Handbook is the essential resource for policymakers and professionals working to integrate happiness and well-being into governmental processes and institutions.

The Spread the Happiness Approach: Happy Teachers, Happy Classrooms, Better Education

The Spread the Happiness Approach: Happy Teachers, Happy Classrooms, Better Education PDF Author: Shonette Bason-Wood
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429836279
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Both practical and inspiring, this book is designed to empower educators and school leaders to make clear and simple adjustments to their practice for a lasting impact on the happiness and well- being of staff and children and ultimately on academic standards. It includes practical tips and activities to help teachers generate a lasting atmosphere of positivity and happiness in the classroom plus clear strategies to help leaders to embed the Spread the Happiness approach throughout their school and across the curriculum. This book includes detailed case studies, a five-week programme of taster challenges and a section on measuring outcomes and sharing success. The Spread the Happiness approach invites teachers to undertake a 27-day challenge, which encourages problem solving and challenges them to make their immediate workplace happier. It identifies the strengths of adults and children and sets realistic goals to achieve as an individual, as a team and even as a community. This powerful resource will be of great interest to all teachers and school leaders, as well as trainee teachers and students on leadership or early educational courses.

Manufacturing Happy Citizens

Manufacturing Happy Citizens PDF Author: Edgar Cabanas
Publisher: Polity
ISBN: 9781509537884
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The imperative of happiness dictates the conduct and direction of our lives. There is no escape from the tyranny of positivity. But is happiness the supreme good that all of us should pursue? So says a new breed of so-called happiness experts, with positive psychologists, happiness economists and self-development gurus at the forefront. With the support of influential institutions and multinational corporations, these self-proclaimed experts now tell us what governmental policies to apply, what educational interventions to make and what changes we must undertake in order to lead more successful, more meaningful and healthier lives. With a healthy scepticism, this book documents the powerful social impact of the science and industry of happiness, arguing that the neoliberal alliance between psychologists, economists and self-development gurus has given rise to a new and oppressive form of government and control in which happiness has been woven into the very fabric of power.

A History of Feelings

A History of Feelings PDF Author: Rob Boddice
Publisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 1789141001
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
What does it mean to feel something? What stimulates our desires, aspirations, and dreams? Did our ancestors feel in the same way as we do? In a wave of new research over the past decade, historians have tried to answer these questions, seeking to make sense of our feelings, passions, moods, emotions, and sentiments. For the first time, however, Rob Boddice brings together the latest findings to trace the complex history of feelings from antiquity to the present. A History of Feelings is a compelling account of the unsaid—the gestural, affective, and experiential. Arguing that how we feel is the dynamic product of the existence of our minds and bodies in moments of time and space, Boddice uses a progressive approach that integrates biological, anthropological, and social and cultural factors, describing the transformation of emotional encounters and individual experiences across the globe. The work of one of the world’s leading scholars of the history of emotions, this epic exploration of our affective life will fascinate, enthrall, and move all of us interested in our own well-being—anyone with feeling.

Brain Culture

Brain Culture PDF Author: Jessica Pykett
Publisher: Policy Press
ISBN: 1447314050
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
This unique book offers a timely analysis of the effects of our rapidly growing knowledge about the brain, mind, and behavior on public policy and practice. Jessica Pykett examines the interactions of developments in neuroscience, education, architecture and design, and workplace training, showing how the global spread of neuroscientific understandings of brain functioning has led to changes in--and questions about--how we approach issues of policy, governance, and the encouragement and enforcement of particular behaviors. Researchers and practitioners in both the social and behavioral sciences, as well as policy makers, will find its insights surprising and valuable.