Ruut Veenhoven studied sociology. He is currently professor of social conditions for human happiness at Erasmus University Rotterdam, in The Netherlands.

Veenhovens definition of happiness is “enduring satisfaction with life as a whole”. It is commonly assumed that humans have an innate need for meaning, and that gratification of that need causes happiness. However, that assumption should not be taken for sure. An alternative theory holds that we have no hardwired ‘need’ for meaning but rather a universal ‘interest’ in meaning as a consequence of the fact that we can think. This theory fits the fact that we can live fairly well without convincing answers about the objective meaning of life.

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