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Objective/Context: The text focuses on pointing out some of the top challenges that the history of emotions currently faces in light of the contributions the field of study has produced from its creation. Methodology: To the extent that the field of history of emotions continues to expand, it is vital to bear in mind that the contributions will be different if the people who work from this standpoint focus, for example, on the individual or the social framework; on events or processes; on specific emotions or their articulation with historical processes; on specific audiences or a broader public; on unique geographical contexts or comparative reflections on different ambits. Originality: The piece presents a balance on the main methodological, thematic, and theoretical challenges faced by academics who work from the perspective of the history of emotions, at a time when the field has reached a high level of sophistication, and suggests synthetically a series of work pathways that point to strengthening the contributions made from this field of study. Conclusions: This reflection concludes that the history of emotions can progress in different directions and that the varied analytical alternatives at the disposal of historians devoted to this field have the potential to affect different types of audiences, within and without the specific sphere of emotions, and to solidify the contribution made from the field to knowledge in general. One of the main questions this paper highlights is the pressing need for further studying emotions in geographic areas outside the United States, Europe, and Australia, among which Latin America stands out as an important one.

American parents greatly value children’s happiness, citing it well above other possible priorities. This commitment to happiness, shared with parents in other Western societies but not elsewhere, is an important feature of popular emotional culture. But the commitment is also the product of modern history, emerging clearly only in the 19th century. This article explains the contrast between more traditional and modern views, and explains the origins but also the evolution of the idea of a happy childhood. Early outcomes, for example, included the novel practice of hosting parties for children’s birthdays, another mid-19th-century innovation that has expanded over time. Explaining the intensification of the happiness commitment also reveals some of the downsides of this aspect of popular emotional culture, for example in measurably complicating reactions to childish unhappiness. The basic goal of the essay is to use this important facet of modern emotional history to evaluate a commitment that many modern parents assume is simply natural.

Expansion of the field of emotions history to include greater participation by Spanish scholars and greater attention to applications of the approach to Spanish history – which this volume reflects and promotes – is a truly welcome development. It’s clear that one of the several signs of success in this vibrant subfield is extending the geographical range, and Spain is emerging as a key case in point. I welcome the invitation to contribute a few comments about the field by way of introduction.