The happiness debate has reared its head again. As if the prospect of Downing Street promoting and measuring household wellbeing were not enough, we now have a new wave of discussions on the importance of happiness at work. 

A recent issue of Harvard Business Review carried a whole series of articles about the topic. They rekindle a management debate that I first experienced in earnest around a decade ago, when reading about an academic ‘Happiness Index’. Create a happy workplace, so the logic went, and you’ll find the yellow brick road to business success.