veenhoven was born in the hague in the netherlands in 1942. he graduated in 1962 from the nederlands lyceum in the hague and received a master's degree in sociology (specializing in public management) from erasmus university in rotterdam (1969). subsequently, he completed a phd in the social sciences also at erasmus, with a dissertation on "the condition of happiness". he was also registered as a social-sexologist (1994–2000).