A Review of Yukiko Uchida, Jeremy Rappleye, An Interdependent Approach to Happiness and Well-Being. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2024, XV+172 pp.

Abstract

In their monograph Yukiko Uchida and Jeremy Rapple compare existing models of happiness and offer a constructive critique of the dominant “independent” (individualistic) model of happiness, which is widespread in wellness research and has developed within a Western, predominantly North American, cultural context. The authors substantiate the thesis that conceptualisations and measurements of happiness are culturally contingent, demonstrating the methodological incorrectness of applying standardised assessment tools to the collectivist cultures in East Asia. Countering the “independent” model’s emphasis on personal achievement and self-esteem, the monograph introduces and develops the concept of “interdependent happiness”, characterised by an orientation toward social harmony, moderation and the significance of others’ perceptions. The work investigates the historical-philosophical roots of both models, exposes the methodological limitations of existing measurement instruments, which underestimate well-being indicators in Asian contexts and proposes an alternative assessment scale of interdependent happiness. The practical implications of these models in education, social behaviour and environmental impact are analysed, with arguments presented for the potential relevance of the interdependent model in addressing contemporary global challenges. The monograph’s key conclusion underscores the necessity of integrating culturally specific determinants into the study and evaluation of happiness phenomena. The review emphasises the heuristic value of the monograph as an attempt to question the universality of Western models for measuring happiness. At the same time, it draws attention to several debatable aspects of the proposed approach: the need for a more precise distinction between interdependent happiness, social empathy, and orientation toward the opinions of others, as well as the risk of excessive simplification in comparing “Western” and “Eastern” cultural traditions. In this respect, the book is assessed as an important work on the cultural embeddedness of happiness, while also requiring critical discussion.