8 Ordinary Australians. 3 Experts. 1 Extraordinary experiment.

Is it love, money, good looks or good genes? Or is happiness really all in the mind? These are some of the key questions driving current psychology, neuroscience and medical research the world over. Scientists have discovered that happiness is not just a fleeting emotion or an inborn quality that some people are blessed with. Happiness is a skill that can be cultivated and the knock-on effects can be seen in our brains, bloodstreams and behaviour. For the first time ever in Making Australia Happy, the latest and most fascinating research from the science of happiness has been compiled, consolidated and taken for a test drive on the suburban streets of Sydney. In this three-part series, eight ordinary people embark on a most extraordinary journey. In an effort to find greater fulfillment and meaning in their lives, theyve signed up to an eight-week happiness program. Theyll undertake a series of challenges, such as writing their own eulogies, singing karaoke and engaging with their local community, as well as having their blood tested, their saliva swabbed and their brains scanned, all in the scientific pursuit of happiness. Can the ancient art of mindfulness get 26 year-old party boy Ben off the hedonic treadmill and mend his broken heart? Will practising gratitude fill the emptiness inside 34 year-old singleton Natalia? And can physical activity really change anything for workaholic 51 year-old father of four Stephen? Pushed to their emotional and physical limits over eight challenging weeks, the volunteers discover that the road to happiness is long and bumpy and, for many of them, its uncharted territory. Do they reach their destination? Can happiness change their biology and the functioning of their brain? And will they unleash a nationwide happiness epidemic?