Happiness at Workplace: Building a Conceptual Framework

Zerin Tasnim

Many of the waking life of modern human beings nowadays are spent in some kind of work setting. So how happy we feel at work has a direct influence on the overall quality of life. Therefore, understanding what makes us happy or unhappy at work is very crucial. But, surprisingly; there is an absence of sound theoretical and conceptual framework for understanding such an important subject from the organizational perspective. For developing a conceptual framework for happiness at work, two components are relevant -the external work environment and the internal mental mapping .So to understand and formulate a theoretical framework for happiness at work, the phenomenon needs to be looked at from various dimensions. Such as, cognitive neuroscience, EP (Evolutionary Psychology) and an overall environmental influence in terms of work setting. Thus, in an attempt to foster happiness at a workplace, this paper reviews the causes of happiness and their consequences or effects at work from the perspective of psychological literature as well as external factors.