Aspen Ideas Festival: Happiness

This week, Word of Mouth brings you highlights from the Aspen Ideas Festival. Today: The Pursuit of Happiness. The idea that all Americans have a right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is perhaps the most significant legacy of the Declaration of Independence. But, actually experiencing happiness is something Harvard psychology professor Dan Gilbert argues eludes people.

During this summer's Aspen Ideas Festival, David Rubenstein, who once served in the Carter administration and owns one of the 17 surviving copies of the Magna Carta, tells the story of the Declaration of Independence -- how it was written and how the ideas in it are central to American life.

And while Americans may have the right to pursue happiness, Stumbling on Happiness author Dan Gilbert explains why achieving it isn't as clear-cut as it seems.

(Photo by sciondriver via Flickr/Creative Commons)