Meanings
- uncountableThe study of happiness.
This publication is not a cheat sheet, a “happyology” manual, or a Band-Aid that will fix that distressed kid and send him to a magical haven of learning.
2014, Joan Young, Encouragement in the Classroom, page 14166192163 more examples
A leader in the multi-disciplinary field of happyology is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of the University of Chicago, a psychology author and educator who has hunted optimal experiences as though they were butterflies.
1980, World Press Review - Volume 40, page 22Positive psychology is not happyology. Although happiness is an important goal for humanity and a worthy topic of study, positive psychology does not focus exclusively on the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure.
2008, Stephen F. Davis, William Buskist, 21st century psychology: a reference handbook - Volume 2, →ISBN, page 203Although Seligman (e.g., Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2000) has distanced himself from this position, there is a danger of positive psychology degenerating into happyology, addressing a naıve belief that the only important thing to life is being happy.
2012, Moshe Zeidner, Gerald Matthews, Richard D. Roberts, What We Know about Emotional Intelligence, →ISBN
Origin
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with happyology
Cite this entry
happyology. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/happyology
“happyology.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/happyology. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “happyology,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/happyology.
Source: happyology on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.