Eric G. Wilson of the Philadelpha Arts and Culture...  puts an interesting spin on happiness:  Wilson believes that we - meaning Americans - are too happy.  Too happy!  That is a shock.  Most of the literature on happiness is about how we need to learn new techniques about happiness, but Wilson says that the self-help culture is ruining our creative impulses.  We are obsessed with happiness,  and in fact, until reading this, I never thought of it quite like that, and now after his help to reframe, I see it from a different light.  Wison writes "surely all this happiness can't be for real.  How can so many people be happy in the midst of problems that beset our globe"

link to Wilson's article