Wellbeing is a hot topic: governments, psychologists and a thousand self-appointed ‘experts’ all claim to promote it and yet our societies are experiencing record levels of mental distress and ill-health. Why?

Matthew Fisher presents a compelling new perspective on psychological wellbeing informed by evidence on human stress responses. He shows how our mental health is shaped by the social and cultural conditions in which we all live.

Developing arguments and strategies for a society truly committed to wellbeing, this book offers new ways to understand the problems facing modern societies and ways to respond through political and social change.

“With the failure of neoliberalism sparking renewed interest in collective wellbeing, Fisher’s book usefully unpacks how our current political economies get in the way of people’s ‘wellbeing abilities’ before elaborating policies that states could (and should) pursue to support ‘wellbeing communities’. A useful little tome for all equity-focused activists.” Ronald Labonté, University of Ottawa

Matthew Fisher is an Australian philosopher and researcher in Public Health at the University of Adelaide. He has published widely on topics of wellbeing, public policy, and social change.