There is little in our formation or education that prepares us for life in a time of national calamity, but some in society have fared better than others. Some recognise that change is necessary. Others recognise that change is inevitable. Very few see change as opportune.

Adaptation to change is particularly difficult for those who are heavily burdened with personal and mortgage debt, or with unemployment or emigration, and many of these burdens bring with them more hidden threats to wellness, such as anxiety, panic, addiction, depression, guilt and shame.

One answer is provided by better mental health. Rebuilding our economic capital will be possible once we reinvest in our people and in their happiness. One in four of us will have a mental health disorder in our lifetime. Recession depression is now too common.

Panic anxiety avoidance and addiction are all increasingly prevalent and the average delay between onset of anxious symptomatology and effective help is at least ten years. Resilience is an essential basis for adaptation to change and for survival, but more can be done to build recovery.

Increasingly good evidence emerges of the positive benefits of sport, exercise, music, dance and mindfulness-based stress reduction in the building of the mental strength necessary to overcome these troubled times. The integrity of our mental health is challenged as each of us is threatened by calamity.

Groups and teams, community’s and clubs are effective means of collective support. And positive mental health skills and attitudes are associated with greater individual well-being and with longer and happier life. Mental health is the resource which will empower recovery in us and in our economy. Modern neuroscience is proving the centrality of the brain in positive wellbeing.

The evidence shows that human recovery is enhanced by music and dance and by song and by exercise, and by mindfulness. That is why we mustn’t wait any longer to lead mentally healthy lives. In Ireland we must not wait any longer to be happy.

More about Trinity College Dublin's exploration of 'The Science of Happiness'

The academic symposium is one of the highlights of Trinity Week which takes place between Monday April 7th and Friday April 11th. During Trinity Week, Trinity College Dublin will be examining, dissecting and prescribing treatments for mankind’s eternal search for happiness. Academics and staff from the Faculty of Health Sciences will share with the public what science and medicine know about this elusive state through a series of events on the theme of the ‘Science of Happiness’.

Another highlight of the week is a public lecture by Cognitive Researcher Nancy Etcoff, Director of the Program in Aesthetics and Well-Being at the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry. Dr Etcoff is part of a new vanguard of cognitive researchers asking: What makes us happy? Why do we like beautiful things?

And how on earth did we evolve that way? Her talk ‘Let us smile each chance we get: Neuroscience based nudges toward happiness and health’ (Thursday April 10th, 6pm, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute), will discuss the ways we try to achieve and increase happiness and its surprising effect on our bodies. Her 2004 TED Talk on Happiness has been viewed by almost a million people.

Is happiness something gained from others or is it something that is successfully pursued through our own efforts? Do we experience the taste, smell and sight of good food; the joy from hearing a piece of music; the satisfaction from volunteering; the excitement of learning; as simply rises and falls in serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain? Trinity Week’s series of events will look at these questions and more and hopefully provide some answers to help people leave a little bit happier and with a greater understanding about the different sciences and expressions of happiness.

Professor Jim Lucey is Medical Director of St Patrick's Mental Health Services and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin. He will be speaking at the Trinity Week Academic Symposium on Wednesday 9th April, 2-5pm, Stanley Quek Lecture Theatre, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Pearse Street. This free event is open to the public and no booking is required.

Other events will include symposia, lectures and talks on the science behind happiness, its influence on mental health, creating balance and the psychology of the smile.

Professor Lucey's book on recovery is entitled In My Room and is available online and in stores now #TalkMental www.InMyRoom.org.uk

Most of the events are free and open to the public and a full programme is available at www.tcd.ie/trinityweek