The pursuit of happiness is one of the most central human aspirations. In this chapter, the authors review the psychological literature on well-being and its cultural influences. Specifically, they ask “What does it mean to be happy?” To answer this question, they review existing literature on the components of well-being. This covers components ranging from physical well-being (such as the absence of illness) to psychological well-being (including hedonic and eudaemonic well-being). They then ask “What makes people happy?” To answer this question, they review existing literature on the determinants of well-being. This covers components ranging from the biological to the personal and the cultural domains. Throughout the chapter, they emphasize that neither the components, nor the determinants of well-being are necessarily universal, but vary across cultural contexts.
