High moments aside, do we know what happiness is? Is the world becoming a happier place? Are we happier than our parent's or grandparent's generation? What could give us a little more happiness? I recall an article on the subject published 25 years ago by Geraldine Norman, the art saleroom correspondent of the London Times. I haven't seen it bettered.
She had just been to Africa for her honeymoon and, being a rather bookish sort of girl, took with her the Penguin introduction to psychology and books on statistical game theory, anthropology, economics and comparative religion.
After all this heavy reading, no doubt interspersed with long walks up the paths that stretch alongside Victoria Falls and, I suppose, some canoodling with her new husband, she came up with six principal factors that appeared to be universal requirements for a happy life:
Understanding of your environment and how to control it;
Social support from family and friends;
Species-drive satisfaction, in particular sex and parental drive;