Richard layard spoke at an FHA-organised dinner at the House of Commons in March 2006. He met and spoke with David Cameron, MP, at this event; their first ever meeting. Prior to his election as leader of the Conservatives, Mr Cameron had quoted the Professor's work in speeches.

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Product Description

In this landmark book, Richard Layard shows that there is a paradox at the heart of our lives. Most people want more income. Yet as societies become richer, they do not become happier. This is not just anecdotally true, it is the story told by countless pieces of scientific research. We now have sophisticated ways of measuring how happy people are, and all the evidence shows that on average people have grown no happier in the last fifty years, even as average incomes have more than doubled. In fact, the First World has more depression, more alcoholism and more crime than fifty years ago. This paradox is true of Britain, the United States, continental Europe, and Japan. What is going on?

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4157 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Richard Layard is a leading economist who believes that the happiness of society does not necessarily equate to its income. He is best known for his work on unemployment and inequality, whihc provided the intellectual basis for Britain's improved unemployment policies. He founded the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, and since 2000 he has been a member of the House of Lords. His research into the subject of happiness brings together findings from such diverse areas as psychology, neuroscience, economics, sociology and philosophy.

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Customer Reviews

Important topic, important book
Richard Layard is very convincing in his argument that more money does not necessarily make you happier. This is an important and very hot topic (just last month McConnell's 'Make Money, Be Happy' argued a similar case but on a more personal 'what do I do about it' level).

Layard is an economist, but he brings in helpings of philosophy, psychology and neuroscience along the way. It's a very thought provoking book.

If McConnell, Layard and others are right, as the evidence suggests they are, then the question is what this means for capitalism as we know it? If more money doesn't make us happier than capitalism starts to look a bit rocky.

Layard's Happiness is the No Logo style agenda book laying out all the evidence and exploring what does and doesn't make us happy. McConnell's Make Money Be Happy is perfect if you are trying to work out how on earth you find the right balance between money and happiness in your life. Actually they complement each other perfectly.

A very readable introduction to an important new science
This book makes a compelling and accessible case that the new science of happiness is very relevant to how we shape our society. Layard is an economist by education and argues that his own profession has been complacent in almost unthinkingly using consumption as a practical approximation of happiness. The policy recommendations that result have made us richer, but often not happier. Layard says that it is now possible to measure happiness and thus there is no excuse not to tailor policies to achieve the goal of making society happier. In a very readable fashion he connects recent research on what makes people happy (things like stable families, socially integrated neighbourhoods and low unemployment) to some possible policies. Although one may not agree with some of his recommendations the book is refreshing in its approach. As a result I feel that all my fellow economists should read this to get a new perspective on our profession. Politicians and voters should also read it for new insights on how we should shape our society.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Happiness
I think this was the book that started the current trendiness of Happiness. Despite being fairly short it covers everything you could possibly want to know, and has a bibliography and internet links for anyone wanting to know more about any particular topic.

It is an important book because in some ways the modern world is making people more and more unhappy. But it doesn't have to be that way. The author offers suggestions, backed by solid evidence, for political and economic reforms and also for personally achieving greater happiness.