Further proving my belief that there’s an association for everything, the American Happiness Association, a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit, recently informed me of its very laudable, somewhat laughable and extremely bold mission: to significantly increase the level of enduring happiness worldwide.
But it’s not all sunshine, rainbows and clowns for AHA; on the contrary, the organization provides science-based education and resources to help people learn and practice sustainable happiness.
"There's actually a science of happiness now. This is different from traditional self-help. You can learn happiness just like you can learn math," says Dr. Aymee Coget, CEO of AHA.
One of Harvard University's most popular classes is its happiness class, and the University of Pennsylvania now has an entire degree in happiness. Although benefits pros wouldn’t be expected to get their “PhD” (pursuit of happiness degree), with one in six Americans susceptible to depression in their lifetime, and “recession depression” remaining an ongoing problem in the workplace, happiness interventions may offer some preventive medicine for employers.
"Happiness is one of the most sought-after, and yet misunderstood, experiences in the world. Millions of people haven't figured out how to be truly, deeply happy," says Bob Nozik, M.D. and AHA’s VP of senior programs.
