# The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

Books

— October 13, 2026

By Jonathan Haidt

![Happiness Hypothesis cover](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/2026-10/hh-cover-flat.png?itok=H8IewoR-)

In *The Happiness Hypothesis*, NYU Stern Professor [Jonathan Haidt](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/jonathan-haidt) skillfully combines philosophical wisdom and scientific research to explore ten “Great Ideas” that have been discovered by several of the world’s civilizations. In each chapter, he questions a Great Idea in light of what we now know, and extracts from it the lessons that still apply to our modern lives, thereby illuminating the causes of human flourishing.

*The Happiness Hypothesis* expertly unravels the world’s philosophical wisdom and its enduring maxims—such as “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” and “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”—and tackles the eternal question “How can I live a meaningful life?”

To learn more, visit [here](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jonathan-haidt/the-happiness-hypothesis/9781541609471/?lens=basic-books&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email).

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