Bruno S. Frey was born in Basle, Switzerland in 1941. He studied Economics at the Universities of Basle and Cambridge (England). He was Professor of Economics at the University of Constance from 1970-77, and 1977-2012 Professor of Economics at the University of Zurich, where he is now an Emeritus Professor. He was Distinguished Professor of Behavioural Science at the Warwick Business School at the University of Warwick, UK 2010-13. Since 2014 he has been Senior Professor of Economics at Zeppelin University in Germany.

He is the author of numerous articles in professional journals and books, including Not Just for the Money (1997), Economics as a Science of Human Behaviour (1999), Arts & Economics (2000), Inspiring Economics (2001), Happiness and Economics (2002) as well as Dealing with Terrorism – Stick or Carrot?(2004), Economics and Psychology. A Promising New Cross- Disciplinary Field (2007), Happiness: A Revolution in Economics (2008) and Glück: Die Sicht der Ökonomie (2010).

He received an honorary doctorate in economics from the Universities of St. Gallen, Goeteborg, the Free University of Brussels, the University of Aix-en-Provence/Marseille and the University of Innsbruck.