Measuring Happiness

Many psychologists today propose that scientific research can help us learn how to become happy. This proposal rests on the provocative assumption that happiness is the sort of thing that you can measure scientifically, an idea that would have been rejected throughout most of western history. This episode examines the origin of the idea that happiness is measurable. We are joined by Leah McClimans, who has authored a new book on measuring wellbeing and using measurements to improve medical outcomes.

Guest: Leah McClimans, of USC's Philosophy Department