Remembering Prof. Ruut Veenhoven (1943-2024): A Pioneer in Happiness Studies

Key points

• Prof. Ruut Veenhoven (1943-2024) passed away on the 9th of December 2024 at his home in the Netherlands.
• Prof. Veenhoven pioneered the study of happiness and made it into a credible research focus area
• He built the World Database of Happiness, a global hub for happiness studies and collaboration.
• He founded the Journal of Happiness Studies which has played a crucial role in defining and shaping the field of positive psychology.
• His work also reshaped public policy, influencing global goals and metrics beyond GDP to include happiness.

In the summer of 2011, I was a newly registered PhD student at the North-West University in South Africa. At the time, I was grappling with a seemingly impossible task, convincing a research committee that "happiness” was worth studying! My committee rejected my research proposal twice before. “Happiness?” they said. “It’s too abstract. Too subjective. And impossible to measure.” Despite feeling like I was onto something, it just wasn’t able to convince them as to its importance!

Then, Professor Ruut Veenhoven (1942-2024) walked into my life. He wasn’t the type of person you’d immediately think of as as a trailblazer in academia. With his warm smile, sharp wit, and unassuming presence, he came across as a kind and curious grandfather rather than the revolutionary thinker that he was. But Ruut was exactly that, a real pioneer in positive psychology who fundamentally changed the way we understood, measured and managed one of our most basic drives… happiness!

When I met Ruut, he was visiting South Africa for the 1st Symposium on Positive Social Sciences. At the time my office was transformed into a shared workspace for all the delegates to do some work in between the sessions. He became a regular fixture there, arriving at 8 a.m. every morning and staying until late afternoon. Over the course of the week, our conversations deepened into philosophical and practical explorations of what happiness is and why its important. It wasn’t long before he took charge of my proposal, and helped transformed my chaotic ideas into a well-structured, persuasive argument that highlighted the importance of my PhD topic!

Happiness, he taught me, isn’t just a feeling / emotion. It’s something we can measure, analyze, understand and develop in people. More importantly, it’s something that really matters. By the end of the week, my PhD proposal was transformed in a way that even the most skeptical research committee members couldn’t dismiss. That was Ruut’s gift. He saw potential where others saw impossibility and showed a willingness to help… if you were open for it!

Ruut Veenhoven’s Contributions to Positive Psychology

Prof. Ruut Veenhoven, born in The Hague in 1943, is a Dutch sociologist and a pioneer in happiness research. He graduated highschool in 1962 from the Nederlands Lyceum in the Hague and obtained his masters' and doctoral degrees from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. His PhD in Social Sciences, titled "The Condition of Happiness", set the foundation for a whole new field in psychology aptly called "Happiness Studies". As a professor and researcher, he transformed happiness into a measurable and actionable science that influenced international policy and sparked the development of a positive psychology. To understand his impact, we need to explore the five major ways he reshaped how we think about happiness.

Pioneering the Study of Happiness

Before Ruut, happiness wasn’t something most academics took seriously. It was seen as fleeting, subjective, even trivial. He argued that happiness isnt just as a fleeting emotion, but rather as a deeper evaluation of your entire life. For Ruut, happiness is like taking a step back and asking yourself, "Am I satisfied with my life overall?" It's like giving your life a score based on how well you think you're doing.

By framing happiness as a measurable concept, Ruut opened the door for rigorous scientific inquiry. He proved that happiness could sit alongside income, health, and education as a metric of human progress. This was a revolutionary idea, and it laid the foundation for what would later become the field of positive psychology.

Building the World Database of Happiness

Ruut didn’t stop at studying happiness, he wanted to make it easier for others to study too. He created the World Database of Happiness, a vast archive that collects and organizes research from across the globe. This database isn’t just a collection of studies; it’s a living resource that continues to shape how we understand well-being.

Researchers from every corner of the world now use the database to explore patterns, test theories, and share findings. It’s hard to overstate its importance as its become the central hub for anyone studying happiness. The World Database of Happiness is a testament to Ruut’s vision for collaboration and accessibility.

Founding the Journal of Happiness Studies

Most of us might think starting a journal sounds like a small achievement. But starting the journal that defines a field? Well, that’s a different story. Ruut was the inaugural editor of the Journal of Happiness Studies and helped to ensure that it because a platform where ideas about happiness could flourish. Today, it remains a leading forum for groundbreaking research which stretches far beyond happiness.

Understanding the Conditions of Happiness

Ruut’s doctoral dissertation is where the idea of happiness started. His doctoral dissertation wasn’t just another academic paper. It was a cornerstone for the creation of a new discipline. In Conditions of Happiness, he examined the factors that influence happiness and offered a framework for understanding what contributed to a happy and fulfilling life. It’s been cited countless times because it answers one of humanity’s most fundamental questions: “What makes us happy?”

Influencing Public Policy

Perhaps the most visible impact of Ruut’s work is how it reshaped public policy. He showed that happiness could be measured, and that those measurements could guide how we run societies. The United Nations now includes happiness in its development goals. Countries like Bhutan and New Zealand use happiness as a key performance indicator. Ruut made policymakers think that societal prosperity is more than just a function of consumer spending and GDP.

Conclusion

Ruut Veenhoven didn’t just study happiness; he redefined how we measure, and manage it. He taught us that happiness is both deeply personal, yet profoundly universal. Happiness is shaped by the choices we make and the environments we live in, but it’s also something we can pursue together, as communities and societies.

I’ve thought often about the lessons Ruut taught me during that week in South Africa, and the many conversations we had in the years that followed. He wasn’t just a mentor, he was a catalyst for change… a person who made those around him believe in the power of big ideas. His legacy isn’t just in his academic work, but rather in the countless lives he touched and the communities he inspired.

Prof. Ruut Veenhoven passed away on the 9th of December 2024, at his home in the Netherlands. Below a video reflection by Optentia Research Unit, North-West University celebrating his contributions to science by some of those who worked closely with him over the years.