What Makes a Good Life? Micah Kaats on Happiness

As mental health and well-being become increasingly important topics, happiness research is attracting growing attention. Micah Kaats, a PhD candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School, studies happiness and well-being. On the 12th of December, he visited Forward College’s Lisbon campus to talk about his research, after which we had the opportunity to sit down with him and ask questions about both his research and his personal journey.

Background:

Micah began his academic journey studying philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, where he focused on ethical questions about government, policy, and what society ought to value. “I spent a lot of time thinking very highly‑mindedly about what goals we ought to be pursuing”, he said.  

After his bachelor’s, he wanted to go beyond the realm of ideas. “I like philosophy, I like thinking about arguments and concepts, but I realised that when it comes to well‑being, there are a lot of questions you can answer using data and evidence”, he explained. 

An unexpected detour helped solidify that interest. While working as a musician, some of his music gained popularity in the Netherlands, prompting him to move to Amsterdam. That turned out to be a pretty profound personal experience. He noticed that many people seemed to enjoy a much higher quality of life than what he was used to in the US, a difference he attributed to culture and public policy. He stated: “Even though I had grumbled about these things while living in the US, this felt like real, lived proof."

“The way you structure your society really matters”, he said. That experience ultimately led him back to academia, where he pursued a master’s degree in economic policy and applied ethics at Utrecht University. Going in already with the specific goal of studying happiness research, before beginning his PhD at Harvard. 

Explaining Happiness Research:

At its core, happiness research asks two questions: how people feel about the quality of their lives, and what factors make people feel that their lives are going well. Despite the abundance of economic data that governments collect, systematic data on how people feel about their lives is still relatively new.

I like philosophy, I like thinking about arguments and concepts, but I realised that when it comes to well‑being, there are a lot of questions you can answer using data and evidence.

Critics often argue that happiness is too subjective to measure. Micah sees this as a strength, rather than a weakness. “yes, it’s subjective - and that’s the point”, he said. “How people feel is incredibly important ethically, morally, and for government policy.”

He mentions that in other fields, like medicine, business and economics, subjectivity is already taken seriously. “If utility were completely divorced from how people feel about their lives”, he added, “we wouldn’t care about it very much”. So, subjectivity isn’t a weakness - it’s the core of the research.

Nowadays, it’s much easier to collect this subjective data, because of technological advancement. Before the internet, smartphones and wearables, researchers relied on mail‑in surveys, which were slow and costly. Another development that has made happiness research easier is the increased focus on mental health. Especially since covid the interest in happiness research has skyrocketed. “We all lived through a massive social experiment involving isolation and disruption of routines, and it had a real impact on mental health.” 

In the future, Micah hopes that well-being data will influence government policies more and more. He mentions that there are ongoing discussions at international organisations like the OECD and the World Bank about which metrics to focus on and how to collect this subjective well-being data. In the US, there are also conversations at high levels of government about collecting this data nationally-deciding which questions to ask and how to sample populations. 

He expects that more governments will begin collecting well‑being data as part of their official statistics. 

Advice:

He also believes that well-being data can be meaningful on a personal level. Many people, both young and old, experience loneliness, and tracking well-being can help uncover patterns in how we feel and why. Micah noted that the decline in young people’s well-being is particularly concerning, and that its causes are still not fully understood. “Young people today face real uncertainty about the future”, he said.

When asked what advice he would give to young people, his answer was consistent with his research: prioritise relationships. He says “Spend time with friends, build meaningful connections, and focus on what you genuinely care about”. 

Looking back, he wishes he had understood that earlier. “I spent too much time stressing about achievements”, he reflected. “A lot of that stress was unnecessary.” 

What we can take from his research is that although academic achievements matter, we should also invest our energy in positive experiences and relationships, rather than constantly chasing success.