Felicitators

This symposium is the result of our efforts to collect and present what we know about the creation and distribution of happiness. Our aim is to help shift the focus of wellbeing research from the "I" to the "we" by celebrating people and places, ideas and institutions, that have made and can make the world a happier place. We call them "Felicitators"- producers of happiness. This has echoes of Bentham's felicific calculus, and reminds us that GNH, the Gross National Happiness concept, is rendered in Brazil as FIB, Felicidad Interna Bruta. We will not attempt to stitch our papers too tightly together, or to claim any sort of completeness. We opted for examples, and examples are what you get. What, you might ask, could Dr Seuss, Maria Montessori, Bruder Klaus, Central Park, Singapore prisons, Moses, the Dalai Lama and music have in common? Read on and see. You may be surprised to see how many common themes there are, and how very specific examples can open up very large discussions.