The researchers of EHERO study happiness in various aspects and at different scales varying from happiness at work, and happiness of nations, countries, regions, neighborhoods to the individual level. Generally, most research is related to the field of happiness economics. Our mission is to contribute to greater happiness for a greater number of people. We do this by providing evidence based knowledge about happiness, with the aim of promoting better informed choices throughout society, be it at the level of governments, organizations or individuals.
Research Projects
At EHERO we have several research projects running at the moment, mostly regarding happiness in organizations and happiness in the public domain. Recently, we also studied the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on happiness levels in the Netherlands.
Happiness in organizations
How satisfied and happy are the employees in your organization and how can this be improved? The engagement of employees worldwide is disappointingly low, the lifespan of organizations is diminishing at an alarming rate and it is becoming increasingly difficult for organizations to find, retain and engage the best talent. It is therefore time to look for the codes behind happy employees, sustainable growth and returns. Employee happiness is the catalyst for sustainable growth and returns.
With the Codekrakers Project we aim to find the codes behind happy people and profit in various organizations; varying from international private companies to public institutes such as hospitals. Do you also want to crack the codes behind happiness at work in your organization? Click here to read more or request a brochure.
Happiness in the public domain
In addition to research in organizations, EHERO also conducts research into happiness in the public domain. For example, we study the effects of hope, happiness and geography, happiness and politics, and what research methods to use best. Besides, sharing knowledge through the World Database of Happiness is one of EHERO's primary activities.
The Hope Barometer
The Hope Barometer is a scientific project aimed at finding ways to measure and increase hope in organizations, cities and other groups. We define hope as an engaged desire for an achievable, but always uncertain goal. As such, hope can be an important incentive for change and innovation, and it can help people deal with, and flourish in, a quickly changing world. To understand hope, we need to be able to measure hope, and to measure hope we developed the Hope Barometer. On this website, you can find a shortened version of the Hope Barometer, an overview of previous research and many other things related to hope. Also, at EHERO we conduct and publish academic research on the correlates and levels of hope of several groups of people.
The World Database of Happiness
In line with its mission, the development and sharing of knowledge through the World Database of Happiness is one of EHERO’s primary activities. Under the management of ‘Happiness Professor’ Ruut Veenhoven, this database has recorded all scientific research results in the area of happiness since 1984. This project is unique, as it is the first and until now the only database in the world that maps, categorizes and makes openly accessible all scientific findings from an area of scientific inquiry. The database includes a bibliography of over 7,500 publications about the relationship between happiness and themes such as work, education, health, culture and consumption. The World Database of Happiness is openly accessible and, despite very little having (yet) been done actively towards greater public awareness, it already attracts 50,000 - primarily academically oriented - visitors annually from across the world. And this number of visitors will only increase because of the fact that the subject ‘happiness’ has grown rapidly in popularity in recent years, also driving up the number of scientific publications sharply. Do you want to know more about the World Database of Happiness or become a Supporting Partner? Click here to read more or request a brochure.
COVID-19 and Happiness
The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are felt everywhere. In the chaos, everyone in the Netherlands is forced to organize, innovate and improvise life differently. To contribute its bit, EHERO has launched an action-oriented study into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the various initiatives people are taking to get through this uncertain time. With a drop from 7.5 to 6.3, the Dutch population seems to feel less happy during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read more about the results of the research project.
In addition, we researched in a ZonMW project (together with ESHPM and Sodexo) how decreased job security affects the happiness of employees in the hospitality sector and what organizations can do about it. The White Paper is available here. In a second ZonMW study we analysed the potential effect of COVID-19 and automation on job opportunities in the hospitality sector. You can find the White Paper here.
Publications
Researchers of EHERO frequently publish academic articles and write book chapters. An overview of our publications is listed on this page grouped by five themes:
- Happiness, work and employment
- Happiness, geography and culture
- Happiness, politics and economy
- Happiness, health, hope and social aspects
- Happiness, definition, theory and research methods