Humans just want to be happy, yes? After all, that’s what life’s all about. Well ... no. It turns out that, for a huge chunk of history, feeling good was the furthest thing from our minds. Expecting life to be fun and fulfilling (or, if all else fails, fine) is actually a very recent phenomenon. And there’s every reason to think that it’s making us sad.

A playful tour of Western ‘progress’, from ancient philosophers to modern day pop stars via pills, priests, Proust and the plague, The Importance of Being Miserable explores how, why and when we all started to pursue happiness. And why feeling bad may not actually be all that bad.