In June 2026, the Academy of Interdisciplinary Humanities and Archaeology in Athens (AIHAA) assisted in organizing a large public lecture in Athens, welcoming an audience of several hundred participants from the Chinese business and pharmaceutical sectors.
Held at the Athens Olympic Museum, the event brought together academic research and public discussion around a question that concerns us all: What makes us happy, and can money really buy happiness?
We had the pleasure of inviting Professor Drakopoulos to deliver a lecture on happiness economics, exploring the relationship between economic conditions and human well-being. The lecture examined how factors such as income, employment, consumption, social conditions, and quality of life can influence happiness and life satisfaction. Does a higher income necessarily make people happier? What happens once our basic material needs have been met? And how can economists actually measure something as subjective as happiness?
Drawing on case studies and research from Greece, China, and the wider international context, Professor Drakopoulos introduced the audience to both quantitative and qualitative scholarship on happiness and well-being. From an econometric perspective, the lecture demonstrated how empirical evidence can help us understand the complex relationship between wealth, economic development, and quality of life.
The lecture received a highly enthusiastic response from the audience and provided an opportunity for academic research to engage directly with the business community, while encouraging a broader reflection on a fundamental question: if economic growth is a means, should human happiness ultimately be its goal?