Programme on the enjoyment of life and virtuous behaviour: their determinants and actions to influence them

People want more from life than just material progress - they want a life which gives joy (defined in Project Activities). But this raises the big question, How can greater enjoyment of life and more virtuous behaviour become realisable goals for policy-makers and individuals? We plan two types of activity. 1. Research. To design policies which have this goal, policy-makers need a quantitative model of what determines individuals’ enjoyment of life and their behaviour to others – both as children and adults. At present no such model exists. But Britain has world-beating cohort data which we can be used, including data on the role played by inner factors like mental health and personal values. This will lead to a major book, which we hope will be used by policy-makers and others worldwide. It will be presented at a major international conference in late 2016. And the World Happiness Report 2015 will include a chapter by us on how such data can be used for policy evaluation. 2. Institutional change. We shall pilot two innovations affecting the norms and values which individuals absorb. •For adults the movement called Action for Happiness promotes altruistic living and the enjoyment of life. This movement has now designed an 8-session course called Exploring What Matters to develop core values in face-to-face groups. We shall evaluate its impact both on social norms and on mental and physical health. If successful, the course will be launched by the Dalai Lama in September 2015 for worldwide use. •Having piloted Seligman’s Penn Resiliency Programme (18 hours), we shall now pilot a much more comprehensive life skills programme lasting 120 hours from age 11 to 14. If successful, we expect it to be taken up widely. Our work contributes to the worldwide movement for more attention to the inner life. Resulting from the programme, we hope to establish a new Centre at the London School of Economics for the study of these issues.