导语

  

    My bags were packed and my provisions loaded. I was ready for adventure. And so, on a late summer afternoon, I dragged my reluctant friend Drew off to explore new worlds and, I hoped, to find some happiness along the way. I've always believed that happiness is just around the corner. The trick is finding the right corner.
    ...

内容提要

  

    Many authors have attempted to describe what happiness is; fewer have shown us where it is, what we can learn from the inhabitants of different cultures, and how changing your location can change your mood. Now in this enlightening book, Eric Weiner, a self-described mope and longtime foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, travels to some of the world's most contented places. Full of inspired moments and earned epiphanies, this riveting book will make you happier as you visit:
    India. where happiness and misery live side-by-side
    Bhutan, where the king has made Gross National Happiness a national priority
    Switzerland, where residents believe envy is the great enemy of happiness
    iceland, which, despite being cold, remote, and full of failure, is among the world's happiest places-and for good reason, the author finds.

                Introduction
Chapter 1  The Netherlands
                Happiness Is a Number
Chapter 2  Switzerland
                Happiness Is Boredom
Chapter 3  Bhutan
                Happiness Is a Policy
Chapter 4  Qatar
                Happiness Is a Winning Lottery Ticket
Chapter 5  Iceland
                Happiness Is Failure
Chapter 6  Moldova
                Happiness Is Somewhere Else
Chapter 7  Thailand
                Happiness Is Not Thinking
Chapter 8 Great Britain
                Happiness Is a Work in Progress
Chapter 9  India
                Happiness Is a Contradiction
Chapter 10 America
                Happiness ls Home
                Epilogue
                Are We There Yet？
                Acknowledgments