Gross National Happiness: Why Happiness Matters for America--and How We Can Get More of It - Hardcover

Arthur C. Brooks is Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. The author of Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism, Brooks writes widely about the connections between culture, politics, and economic life in America, and his work appears frequently in the Wall Street Journal and other publications. He is a native of Seattle, Washington, and currently lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife Ester and their three children.

"Arthur Brooks makes me--how else to put it?--happy. He makes me grossly, nationally happy. If you want to be a real American you need to pause in your life and your liberty and pursue some happiness by reading this book." -- P.J. O'Rourke

"Arthur Brooks may be the most innovative and creative analyst of public policy in America today. His insights are in a different league and may lead to an entirely new approach to thinking through public policy. Gross National Happiness is a must read for every person who wants to understand what policies America needs." -- Newt Gingrich

"Happiness is God, marriage, and work. A Republican campaign slogan? No: hard science, as collected by Arthur C. Brooks, emerging as one of the leading--and most original--social observers of his generation." -- David Frum, author of Dead Right and Comeback

"Happiness is an idea etched into our national creed. But what does it mean, exactly? With intriguing statistics and engaging examples, Arthur Brooks explores what makes us happy, which types of people are happiest, and what it means for our nation's future. Gross National Happiness is a fresh look on one of America's oldest tenets--how the pursuit of happiness makes America great." -- Carl J. Schramm, president and chief executive officer of the Kauffman Foundation and author of The Entrepreneurial Imperative

"In this splendid volume, Arthur C. Brooks cements his reputation as one of the nation's premier students of American society. Always driven by data--not ideology--he offers an authoritative account of the social bases of happiness. Just as important, he explores the public policy implications of his findings. It is a fun read, and should put a smile on the face of even the most unhappy among us." -- William A. Donohue, President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

"Is anybody happy in America? Actually, a lot of Americans are--and they're not necessarily the ones you'd think. In Gross National Happiness, Arthur Brooks tells us why supposedly crabby conservatives are actually happier than supposedly lighthearted liberals--and what all of us can do to find more happiness in our lives." -- Michael Barone, Senior Writer for U.S. News & World Report and co-author of The Almanac of American Politics