Founder of The Happiness Institute Timothy Sharp in Sydney. (Reuters)

Sydney, July 3 (Reuters): You don’t need millions to be happy. At The Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred dollars may do the trick.

Since the institute opened its doors this year, men and women of all ages have been paying A$200 an hour ($140) for lessons in how to feel great. Businesses are spending as much as A$6,000 on half-day happiness workshops for their staff.

“You can actually increase your happiness levels. That’s what we teach,” said Timothy Sharp, founder of the institute, which also offers group sessions from A$30 a head.

“We take people from zero and try to put a positive in their happiness bank account. You don’t have to settle just for OKness. It’s no more OK than having a zero bank balance. You can have a lot more," Sharp said.

Experts say only about 15 per cent of happiness comes from income, assets and other financial factors. As much as 90 per cent comes from elements such as attitude, life control and relationships. “If you’re not a natural in any of these areas you can learn to get a lot better at them,” Sharp said.

The Happiness Institute is part of what US economist Paul Zane Pilzer calls the “Wellness Revolution.”

In his book of the same name, Pilzer says the next trillion-dollar industry after cars and information technology will be in preventative businesses that help people find peace, health and happiness.

While most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, happiness levels haven't changed to reflect that.

Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to happiness.

“It’s definitely not a guarantee. The difference between someone on say $30,000 a year and someone on $300,000 a year is actually very small. A lot of people are surprised by that," Sharp said. “The economists are saying: ‘Well, why haven’t there been changes? Because on economic measures there have been huge changes’.”

Craig Barber, general manager of a hotel in Sydney, had five one-on-one sessions at The Happiness Institute and organised a series of four-hour group sessions with Sharp for his staff. “You could hear a pin drop. At each break I walked around the tables and there wasn’t a doodle in sight. They were so into it, paying so much attention," Barber said.