At Cambridge University, Nick is a Well-Being Scientist studying the hows and whys of wonderful lives. For the past ten years, he's been looking for the most reliable routes to happiness, good health, a sense of accomplishment, and lasting companionship. Nick also enjoys working as a coach and psychologist with individuals of all ages, and has written over 100 columns for The Times on The Science of Happiness. This is his first book.

Nick earned his PhD at Cambridge where he then became Britain's first lecturer in Positive Psychology. He was invited by the Royal Society to co-organise its first ever conference on The Science of Well-Being, and has co-edited a cross-disciplinary collection of 20 chapters by some of the world's leading scientists in this pioneering field. (The Science of Well-Being, Oxford University Press 2005: Felicia Huppert, Nick Baylis, Barry Keverne.)

Before Cambridge, Nick studied with the Open University, and taught creative writing in Feltham Young Offenders Prison. There, as a volunteer, he founded Trail-Blazers, a mentorship project for the young inmates (www.trail-blazers.org.uk). Nick is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (www.theRSA.org).

When I was seven, happiness was a piece of cake, rocket shaped.
And who needs to cope with life on Earth...
when you're going to be an astronaut