In today’s business world, driven by competitive advantage, success and wealth, happiness can easily be relegated to a wishful aspiration. But as we look for ways to succeed in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, can the ancient goal of happiness bring us both personal wellbeing and business prosperity?

Three decades of research have established clear links between specific emotional skills and our health, wealth and wellbeing. We have found that high levels of emotional capital lead to increased productivity, and as many studies show, happy people are more creative, solve problems better and more quickly, live longer and enjoy high levels of leadership influence. In other words, when people feel better, they perform better.

But everyone experiences happiness differently. Some people describe moments of deep peacefulness in nature. Others describe the excitement of anticipating a long awaited event such as the birth of a child, or a career success....

Download the full article here.