Supersizing the Science of Happiness

The science of happiness has captured the public's imagination. But I will argue that some of the most commonly recommended strategies for increasing happiness rest on a surprisingly weak foundation of evidence. I will highlight the need for more large-scale, high-impact experiments in this area--and I will describe findings from one such project, conducted in collaboration with the non-profit organization TED, in which hundreds of participants from seven countries were randomly assigned to receive $10,000.