SAM
WREN-LEWIS
Writer and Philosopher

About Me
My friends call me Happiness Sam. Over the past decade, I've done a PhD on happiness, worked for a charity called Happy City, and even lived on a street called Gratitude Road. I've just finished writing a book on happiness. Perhaps surprisingly, after all that experience, the book isn't about how to be happy. In fact, it's called The Happiness Problem.
The Happiness Problem is about how we are currently thinking about happiness in the wrong way. We think that happiness comes from control: if only we could get everything in our lives just right - the perfect job, relationship, family, body and mind - then we'd be happy. This way of thinking about happiness is not only too simple, it can also be harmful. The more we focus on the things we can control, the more we blind ourselves to what really matters.
The right way of thinking about happiness is to stop thinking about what will make us happy. We need to focus less on control and more on connection. And we need to do the same on a social level. Instead of reacting to major social issues with certainty, urgency and blame, we can respond with humility, curiosity and compassion. The Happiness Problem is about the forces of control and connection in our personal and social lives. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
For more about the book, see here.
Wellbeing Research
2014 - Today
Indepedent Scholar
Honorary Associate Professor at Nottingham University
Published academic articles on a number of happiness and wellbeing topics, including the nature of happiness, the measurement of happiness and wellbeing, the role of wellbeing in public policy, the co-benefits of subjective wellbeing, and wellbeing and mental health
2010 - 2014
University of Leeds
PhD in Philosophy, on happiness and wellbeing
Thesis title: How Successfully Can Wellbeing Be Measured Through Measuring Happiness?
Received a Recognition of Research Excellence award from the University of Leeds
Wellbeing Policy
2017 - Today
Wellbeing Consultant
Working on wellbeing measurement and policy projects with local and national wellbeing organisations, such as the Centre for Thriving Places, What Works Centre for Wellbeing, and New Economics Foundation.
2014 - 2017
Head of Research & Development at Happy City.
Worked on a number of wellbeing measurement and policy projects in collaboration with a wide range of local, national and international organisations, including UK Cabinet Office, Office of National Statistics, Public Health England, What Works Centre for Wellbeing, and New Economics Foundation.