In the past, happiness studies has been dominated by the work of philosophers, economists and psychologists, but more recently there has been a growing interest from social scientist into the natures of happiness and wellbeing. This original collection draws on the latest empirical research to explore the practical challenges facing happiness researchers today, such as how to conduct happiness research in different cultural contexts, how to theorise wellbeing or how to operationalise definitions of happiness in qualitative and biographical research. By uniquely combining the critical approach of sociology with techniques from other disciplines, the contributors illuminate new approaches to the study of happiness and well-being.

Chapter 1. Introduction: Developing Qualitative Research into Happiness and Wellbeing - Mark Cieslik, Northumbria UniversityQualitative Research into Happiness/Wellbeing: Theories, Debates and Issues
Chapter 2. Living Well Together: On Happiness, Social Goods and Genuinely Progressive Sociology - Neil Thin
Chapter 3. Happiness as an Affective Practice: Self, Suffering and Biography - Nicholas Hill
Chapter 4. Personal Happiness, Social Unhappiness: Understanding the Tomplexity of Individual Happiness Accounts - David Tross
Qualitative Research into Happiness/Wellbeing: Communities, Biographies and Identities
Chapter 5. Developing a Biographical Approach to Happiness and Wellbeing - Mark Cieslik
Chapter 6. Considering the Body in Happiness Research - Richard Gibbons
Chapter 7. How can Cultural Heritage Contribute to Community Development and Wellbeing - Claire Wallace and David Beel
Chapter 8. On Post-Traumatic Growth and 'Choosing' to be Happy: Stories of Positive Change from African Refugees and Asylum Seekers -Brianne Wenning
Chapter 9. Using Social Wellbeing to Inform Regeneration Strategies in a Former Colliery Town in Northern England - Kelly Johnson and Sarah Coulthard
Qualitative Research into Happiness/Wellbeing: Methodological Innovations
Chapter 10. A Board Game Approach to Studying the Multi-dimensionality of Life Satisfaction - Barbara Holthus and Wolfram Manzenreiter
Chapter 11. Show Me What Makes you Happy at Work'? Visualising Happiness in the Workplace - Ilona Suojanen