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In the last few decades there has been something of a revolution in the scien tific study of happiness. 1 A combination of radical new thinking and sophisticat ed methodology has allowed psycholo gists to add substantially to our under standing of this concept that has histori cally been the domain of philosophers and theologians. For the first time, we are able to measure happiness. And we have learned much about the biological and social factors that contribute to hap piness. Perhaps just as important, we have debunked many myths about it-such as that young people are happy and the elderly are sad, or that money is the secret to it. Above all, we have begun to learn the lesson that happiness is more than an emotional pleasantry-that it is a psychological tonic that promotes well-being in many domains of life. The importance of using the scientific method in the study of happiness can be illustrated by referring to …