The Happiness Issue

Contrary to popular opinion, when it comes to our well-being, our lives do not represent an inevitable decline from the sunny uplands of youth to the valley of death. Instead the opposite is true — we can confidently look forward to old age as the happiest time of our lives. 

History has no laugh track, so how do we measure our changing conceptions of happiness through the ages? 

Ego Nwodim '10, now in her second season as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, graduated from USC Dornsife with a degree in biological sciences — never doubting she would succeed as an actor. 

We believe that love and money will make our lives happier. But will they? 

USC Dornsife researchers are creating innovative new products and businesses to mend the planet and create a strong economy

Our family relationships have considerable impact on our well-being — both positive and negative.

After earning her Ph.D. in Earth sciences from USC Dornsife in 2009, Jingmai O’Connor has carved out a stellar career as a paleontologist in China, where she found not only access to thousands of exceptional fossils that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world — but also the freedom to be herself.