Happiness, well-being and sustainability : : a course in systems change / / Laura Musikanski, Rhonda Phillips, James Bradbury, John de Graaf and Clinton L. Bliss.

• VerfasserIn: Musikanski, Laura, 1964-; Phillips, Rhonda,; Bradbury, James (Sociologist),; De Graaf, John,; Bliss, Clinton L.
• TeilnehmendeR: Phillips, Rhonda,; Bradbury, James (Sociologist),; De Graaf, John,; Bliss, Clinton L.
• Place / Publishing House: Abingdon, Oxon ;, New York, NY : : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group,, 2021.; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (xx, 195 pages) :; illustrations

"Happiness, Well-being and Sustainability: A Course in Systems Change is the first textbook bridging the gap between personal happiness and sustainable social change. The book provides a guide for students to increase their skills, literacy and knowledge about connections between a sense of well-being and systems change. Further, it can help students live a life that brings them happiness and contributes to the well-being of others and the sustainability of our planet. The book is broken down into seven sections covering the subjects of systems thinking, personal and societal values, measuring happiness, human needs, ecological sustainability, and public policy. In addition, each section includes engaging exercises to empower students to develop their own ideas, prompts for group discussion, suggestions for additional research, and an extensive list of resources and references. The book is written in the context of systems thinking with a style that is approachable and accessible. Happiness, Well-being and Sustainability: A Course in Systems Change provides essential reading for students in courses on happiness, social change, and sustainability studies, and provides a comprehensive framework for instructors looking to initiate courses in this field"-- Provided by publisher.

Table of Contents

Cover -- Endorsements -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- About the authors -- List of figures and tables -- List of text boxes -- About the contributors -- Introduction -- 1 Systems -- Introduction to systems -- Systems and elements -- Highlight: urban or rural planning -- Interdependence -- Highlight: exploring interdependence -- Feedback loops -- Guest coursebook contribution from Kate Pickett -- Highlight: a short history of GDP as a measurement to guide nations -- Highlight: money, income and happiness: the Easterlin paradox -- Highlight: why certain nations are happier -- Highlight: why some poor nations are happier than you would expect -- Leverage points -- Highlight: beekeeping as a leverage point for sustainability and prosperity -- Entry points for systems change -- Change agents -- Highlight: different approaches to change agentry -- Guest coursebook contribution from Lester Kurtz -- 2 Values -- Introduction to values: setting the stage for a thought experiment -- The value of values -- Guest coursebook contribution from Tom Crompton -- What are values? -- What are your values? -- Highlight: exploring the origin of personal values -- Ten common values -- Exploring conflicting values -- Highlight: conflicting values and tragedy -- Two stories -- Wealth, appearance and status values story -- Care and community values story -- The dilemma of societal values and happiness -- Can values change? -- Highlight: exploring biases -- Highlight: a few ingredients for happiness at work -- Revising our thought experiment -- 3 Measuring Happiness -- Why measure happiness -- Highlight: different ways nations measure happiness, well-being and sustainability -- Highlight: change agency and measuring happiness -- Highlight: teaching sustainability -- Connecting happiness, well-being and sustainability through measurements.

How is sustainability measured? -- Measuring happiness subjectively -- Using satisfaction with life data -- Highlight: choices and satisfaction with life -- Highlight: happy jobs -- Using data about how you feel -- Guest coursebook contribution from John C. Havens -- Guest coursebook contribution from Marek Havrda -- Using eudaimonia, flourishing and other data for a good life -- Highlight: four kinds of happiness-hedonism, eudaimonia, flow and chaironic happiness -- Roles for measurements in system -- 4 Individual Happiness -- Individual happiness introduction -- Highlight: why not be happy? -- Highlight: the doctor bliss doctrine -- The science behind mindfulness -- Mindfulness as a theory of positive change -- Four ways to practice mindfulness -- A few last words on mindfulness -- The science behind gratitude -- Reflective gratitude practices -- Expressive gratitude practices -- A few last words on gratitude -- The science behind generosity -- Generosity practices -- A few final words on generosity -- Communication -- Active listening -- Speaking -- Benefits of individual happiness skills checklist -- 5 Needs -- Needs identified -- Not meeting needs: the rich-poor gap -- Highlight: sustainable development -- Highlight: can needs be sustainably met? -- Inequality, misery and happiness -- Highlight: HALT -- Needs and sustainability -- Highlight: a backpacker's theory of life -- Our needs theory -- 6 Sustainability -- Defining sustainability -- Highlight: sustainable and happy communities -- Highlight: beauty, happiness, well-being and sustainability -- Global problems and solutions -- Climate change -- Human population and our ecological footprint -- Guest coursebook contribution from Beth Allgood -- Highlight: will technology save us? -- Highlight: universal basic income -- Sustainable business -- Highlight: the circular economy.

Highlight: externalities -- Connecting sustainability and happiness -- 7 Policy -- Defining policy -- Happiness, well-being and sustainability policies -- Organizational changes for happiness, well-being and sustainability policy -- Highlight: three factors for happiness and well-being in cities -- How to engage in policy making -- Guest coursebook contribution from Jean Crowder -- Closing: your future, our future -- Index.