January is a long month. The holiday cheer begins to wear off, back to work and school; and for those of us in the cold: banks of dirtying snow and “wintry mixes,” sputtering heaters, and searing winds. At this time, the bright year ahead simultaneously seems most promising, and most harsh.

No better time to think about Exploring Happiness, Sissela Bok’s multidisciplinary study of  happiness, covering its philosophical history from Aristotle to brain science. When asked why she chose to study the subject now—alongside poverty, wars, epidemics, and natural disasters—Bok says that “it is precisely in times of high danger and turmoil that concerns about happiness are voiced most strikingly and seen as most indispensable,” something she observes throughout human history. Shortly before publishing her book, Bok sat down at home with husband Derek, author of The Politics of Happiness (Princeton), for an interview with PBS’s Newshour (video and transcript available) to discuss the rise of studying happiness and how resolutions to finding happiness are dynamic and ever-changing within human nature.

YUP is really showing its emotions this year. Be on the lookout for two forthcoming histories this spring: Boredom: A Lively History, by Peter Toohey and Love: A Secret History, by Simon May.