The quest for happiness is back with a vengeance. The bookstore’s self-help section is overflowing. Colleges offer courses on happiness, and they are oversubscribed. Institutes that present “pleasant ...

From the Ancient Greeks and Buddhists to Christian thinkers and positive psychologists, happiness has taken many forms.

Everyone wants to be happy. That is the great pursuit that begins the day we are born. The new born babe crying for his milk, the toddler trying to walk to get to his toy, the children wanting to go ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

The Roman poet Horace tells the story of Lycas, a wealthy merchant who spent his days entertained by imagined actors performing nonexistent dramatic plays on the grounds of his estate. Lycas drew his ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

Ask a Christian if she’s blessed and she’ll reply—or at least she’ll know she’s supposed to reply—yes. Ask her if she’s happy, and her instinct might be to deny it, whatever the reality. Happiness has ...

Happiness is defined differently depending on who you ask. Some people define happiness as a positive emotional experience. Others define happiness as having two parts called hedonia (pleasure) and ...