IELTS Vocabulary: Happiness (The Happiness Industry)

This lesson focuses on the topic of Happiness as it appears in the IELTS test.

We'll go through vocabulary related to the topic, and I walk you through a difficult Academic Passage 3 text about the science of happiness.

Keywords

mental health – a person’s emotional and psychological wellbeing.

well-being – the state of being healthy, happy, and comfortable.

wealth – a large amount of money or valuable possessions.

the rat race – a busy and stressful way of life where people compete for success, money, or status.

basic survival needs – the essential things people need to live, such as food, water, shelter, and healthcare.

possessions – , the things that a person owns.

optimistic – expecting good things to happen in the future.

pessimistic – expecting bad things to happen or focusing on negative outcomes.

materialistic – believing that owning money and possessions is very important.

to suffer from depression – to experience a serious mental health condition that causes persistent sadness and loss of interest.

to have a positive mindset – to think in a hopeful and confident way, even when facing difficulties.

What is this text about?

This book review is about a book called The Happiness Industry by William Davies.

The book says that many governments, businesses, and psychologists believe that their goal should be to make people happier.

These ideas came from a philosopher called Jeremy Bentham, who said that happiness means having pleasure and avoiding pain. He also believed that happiness could be measured.

Today, some governments and companies try to measure happiness and change people's behaviour. They use psychology, advertising, and research to encourage people to act in certain ways.

William Davies thinks this is a problem. He argues that treating happiness like a science can be a way to control people. He believes governments should be careful because trying to make people happy can reduce people's freedom.

Get the full set of notes with Speaking and Writing models plus Listening and Reading videos in the ⁠Resource Library⁠ on my website, and in the ⁠Members Academy⁠ Vocabulary and Reading Courses.