The politics of wellbeing and the new science of happiness have become increasingly popular since Martin Seligman coined the phrase "positive psychology" and connected it to the idea of the good life. So why, ten years later, does much of the discussion - "work less," "earn enough," "keep fit," "find meaning," "enjoy freedoms" - sound uninspired? Mark Vernon argues that it is because the central question - just what is wellbeing? - is not properly addressed. He shows, surprisingly, that wellbeing is not found in a focus on pleasure, or even the pursuit of happiness itself. Rather, it is a question of meaning and responding to the great challenge of our day: the search for transcendence. At root, the life that is going well is based on love: it is love that draws us out of ourselves toward friends, hopes, and, ultimately, the contemplation of mystery.