Since everyone wants to be happy and no one gets it, happiness has become a legal drug sold by opportunists and bought by those addicted to the genre. Current thinking has not resolved the tension between hedonism and devotion, but it has added a new dimension to the debate.

The emphasis is now on complex mental engagements, the breadth of deep emotions, and novel experiences. Only a minority prefer psychological wealth, and curiously there are far fewer in Singapore (7%) than in Germany (17%).