Korean psychologist Suh Eun-kook on the simple secrets to happiness

“Are you happy?” It’s a simple question, and on the surface, there’s nothing unusual about it. Yet many people hesitate to answer yes. Life may feel generally okay, but admitting happiness often seems to require having a little more. Statistics suggest the same. According to the U.N.’s World Happiness Report 2025, released in March, Korea ranked 58th among 147 countries. It placed near the bottom among developed nations and ranked lower than Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Japan and the Philippines in Asia. Koreans love comparing rankings and speak often of healing, yet still hesitate to call themselves happy. Why? Suh Eun-kook, a psychology professor at Yonsei University and author of the book whose Korean title translates as “The Origin of Happiness,” offers one explanation. He argues that people should seek “Darwinian happiness rather than Aristotelian happiness,” a phrase that may sound abstract but has resonated deeply. The book has sold more than 200,000 copies, reflecting Koreans’ intense preoccupation with happiness. Suh studied under Ed Diener, consid

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