Once again, Arnold is going overboard in his opposition to happiness research. It’s one thing to say that (a) “happiness” has more than one meaning, or (b) that there’s more to life than happiness, or (c) that a longer time interval between action and emotion increases measurement error.

It’s quite another to decry “pathetically stupid articles, books, and blog posts” and “otherwise intelligent people [who] make fools” of themselves. Arnold’s classroom holds itself to higher standards.