Well-Being in Contemporary Society

This anthology examines the practical role of well-being in contemporary society. It discusses developments such as globalization, consumerism and the rapid innovation and use of new and emerging technologies and focuses on the significant impact of these developments on the well-being of people living today. The anthology brings together researchers from various disciplines, including psychology, economics, sociology, philosophy and development studies. It provides concrete insight on the role and importance of well-being in contemporary society, using a mix of empirical grounding, philosophical rigour and an emphasis on real-world applications. It is unique in that it seeks to understand the relation between well-being research and its application towards real problems.

This anthology examines the practical role of well-being in contemporary society. It discusses developments such as globalization, consumerism and the rapid innovation and use of new and emerging technologies and focuses on the significant impact of these developments on the well-being of people living today. The anthology brings together researchers from various disciplines, including psychology, economics, sociology, philosophy and development studies. It provides concrete insight on the role and importance of well-being in contemporary society, using a mix of empirical grounding, philosophical rigour and an emphasis on real-world applications. It is unique in that it seeks to understand the relation between well-being research and its application towards real problems.

Chapter 1. Introduction-Well-Being in Contemporary Society; Jelle de Boer, Jan-Willem van der Rijt, Johnny Hartz Søraker, Pak-Hang Wong and Philip Brey.- Chapter 2. Towards Consensus on Well-Being; Timothy Taylor.- Chapter 3. Towards a Widely Acceptable Framework for the Study of Personal Well-Being; Sam Wren-Lewis.- Chapter 4. Well-Being between Science and Philosophy; Raffaele Rodogno.- Chapter 5. Improving the Health Care Sector with a Hapiness-Based Approach: The Case of the Happiness Route; Laura Weiss, Sarah Kedzia, Aad Francissen and Gerben Westerhoff.- Chapter 6. Conflict, Commitment and Well-Being; Rixar Arlegi and Miriam Teschl.- Chapter 7. Can Technology make us Happy?: Ethics, Spectator's Happiness and the Value of Achievement; Andreas Spahn.- Chapter 8. A Biomedical Shortcut to (Fraudulent) Happiness? An Analysis of the Notions of Well-Being and Authenticity Underlying Objections to Mood Enhancement; Birgit Beck and Barbara Stroop.- Chapter 9. Increasing Societal Well-Being through Enhanced Empathy using Computer Games; Judith Annett and Stefan Berglund.- Chapter 10. Well-Being, Happiness and Sustainability; Bengt Brülde.- Chapter 11. The Political Pursuit of Happiness: A Popperian Perspective on Layard's Happiness Policy; Aloys Prinz and Björn Bünger.- Chapter 12. Measuring Quality of Life - and Idea Whose Times has Come? Agenda-Settings Dynamics in Britain and the European Union; Ian Bache.- Chapter 13. The Political Turn towards Happiness; Jan-Willem van der Rijt.