Sad/Angry/Happy: Happy

Searching for that ever-elusive sense of satisfaction and well-being? If Melbourne’s a city that often experiences four seasons in a day, most of its residents face much the same experience internally. Our panellists Sean Dooley, Catherine Deveny, Jonathan Daly and Anne Manne investigate happiness, contentment and joy.

They explore the nature of happiness in relation to faith and belief, meaning and depression. When Dooley asks urbanist Daly whether our cities are conducive to human happiness, the latter expresses his distaste for the bland suburban sprawl of Melbourne. (Those with fonder feelings for the city’s suburbs will find solace in Manne’s rebuttal.)

And then there’s the question of whether depression is consistent with a more accurate understanding of the world, facilitating an emotional entry point into darker realities. Finally Dooley asks: should we actively pursue happiness, or is happiness about living in the moment?