DUBAI: Happiness is not something that can be created by an individual simply because they are told, but a feeling that results from interaction, an academic told the World Government Summit on Monday.
Referring to the US bill of rights that tells every American that they have the right to the pursuit of happiness, Professor of applied mathematics at Cornell University, Steven Strogatz said this was not necessarily a choice, individuals could make.
In a speech about the science of synchronized randomness, he concluded that complex systems in society were created by a number of different parts reacting in different ways.
He said in America there was a perception that happiness was something “each person should pursue on their own.”
“But happiness is very much a social phenomenon that people’s wellbeing and happiness that relies on their interactions with their fellow citizens,” Strogatz said.
“We can help each other be healthier and happier collectively – it’s not just up to us individually.”
