Watch as Three Australian Families Take the Biggest Test of their Lives

What does a happy family look like? What do they do? How can we create one?

As the pressures of modern life impact on Australian families, finding the answers is more important, and urgent, than ever.

Of course happiness looks different to everyone. For some it’s all about good communication or strong parenting skills or spending quality time together. For others it’s having good relations across the generations. Needless to say, regardless of what happiness looks like, for most of us it’s the end game, no matter what our pursuits are.

In an Australian and world first, the ‘Happiness’ team from the ABC TV series Making Australia Happy and Making Couples Happy are turning their attention to their greatest challenge yet: families.

Guided by two on-screen experts, psychologists John Aiken and leading child and family psychologist Clare Rowe, three very different families are taken through a scientifically-backed program to achieve happiness in eight weeks.

The three families range from a blended family with 5 kids to a single mother with a 13-year-old daughter. Their problems are ones that all Australians will relate to. Poor communication, financial stress, lack of parenting skills, defiant teenagers – for the three families, it’s their best hope for change after years of conflict.

Every fortnight, they’re evaluated and scored (using a scientifically validated system specifically developed for the series) to determine their happiness levels.

The stakes were huge but so were the results.

Watch the trailer below and be sure to tune in to ABC on Tuesdays at 8.30pm

Making Families Happy: Starts TuesdayFollow three families on a journey to overcome conflict and form deeper bonds. #MakingFamiliesHappy starts Tuesday.
Posted by ABC TV on Tuesday, 20 October 2015