Quantifying Happiness In 2026

Unemployment is up. Two-thirds of Americans have recently struggled with the rising cost of groceries. And the President of the United States has occupied his time attempting to start a land war in Venezuela, posting on the internet, and blowing up the East Wing of the White House. Times are… tough. So what can we do, as individuals and as a society, to be happier? To find out, we spoke to Michael Plant. He’s the founder and director of the Happier Lives Institute, a nonprofit that researches the most cost-effective ways to improve wellbeing around the world. And in headlines, unemployment surges to its highest rate in four years, the deadline to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies draws dangerously near, and Vice President J.D. Vance asks Americans for patience during a speech in Pennsylvania.