Cafe Scientifique June 21, 2005

http://www.cafe-scientifique-brighton.org.uk/

Happiness: the science behind your smile - Daniel Nettle

We live in a world driven by the pursuit of happiness, recognised by everyone, from poets to politicians, as what makes the world go round. The world's largest and fastest-growing industries ? alcohol, pharmaceuticals, mind altering drugs, self-help books, counselling, travel and tourism ? all profit heavily from our intent to become completely happy with our lives. But while everybody might want it, how many of us ever think deeply about what exactly happiness is? Can we measure this most basic of human desires? Can we predict it? Can we market it? Perhaps most importantly, why does it appear so elusive?

Join Daniel as ? weaving together the latest insights from philosophy, psychiatry, and psychology ? he explores the science behind your smile.



Daniel Nettle is a Lecturer in Psychology in the Division of Psychology, Brain and Behaviour, at the University of Newcastle. Prior to this he had a joint appointment in the departments of Psychology and Biological Sciences at the Open University, and received a PhD on language from University College London. In recent years he has broadened his interests to cover a number of other topics to do with human thought, behaviour, and culture. Daniel?s work is united by the desire to understand human beings in the context of their evolutionary history.