The Book of Happiness has two goals.

Goal 1: Provide everyone with an instruction in the science of happiness so that they can improve their lives in a more effective way

For people who do not have basic access to clean water, health, energy, food and education, an instruction in the science of happiness is not a priority, the priority is to build these accesses, but when these accesses are built then the instruction in the science of happiness becomes a necessity.

From my point of view, knowing the basics of the science of happiness is as important as knowing how to read, write and count. If I had known the basics that you will read in the Book of Happiness when I was young, my life would have been better. If you had known these basics, you would have made other decisions in your life and your life would probably be better.

Goal 2: Build a better world through an instruction in happiness

I believe that widespread instruction in the science of happiness will build a better world through at least three channels. The first channel is that such instruction will enable everyone to make better decisions not just for themselves, but for the good of society as a whole.

The second channel is that some human beings have more power than others, however, at the time of writing, they have no instruction in happiness, and as a consequence, when they make decisions, they cannot benefit from this instruction to make better decisions. Instruction in the science of happiness will enable people who have more power than others in the functioning of societies to make better decisions.

The third channel is related to the fact that a world where everyone masters the basics of the science of happiness is a world where there will be greater trust and better communication between human beings and where better institutions will be built.

In order to build a better world through instruction in happiness, the first eight chapters of The Happiness Book are about what we can do in our lives to become happier quickly. The last chapter of the book is different: it is centred on collective elements that promote human happiness. Indeed, the most important determinants of our individual happiness are collective determinants over which we individually have little power, but which we can collectively influence, and I explain in the book simple methods to put in place, which require few resources and energy, to do so.