Science on Screen Presents AMERICAN BEAUTY December 7, 2009

The Coolidge Corner Theatre's Science on Screen series explores our search for happiness with a special presentation of Sam Mendes's critically acclaimed film American Beauty, paired with a pre-screening talk by Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard and author of the New York Times best-selling book, Stumbling on Happiness.

Winner of five Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Screenplay), American Beauty moves seamlessly from wicked comedy to deeply moving drama. Starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, this sublime film, part social satire, part domestic tragedy, is about yearning after youth, respect, power, beauty -- and happiness. But do any of us even know what will make us happy – or, for that matter, unhappy? Guest speaker Daniel Gilbert would bet we think we know, but we are most likely wrong. Through pioneering research, Dr. Gilbert has shown that we really aren’t very good at predicting out emotional reactions – positive or negative -- to future events. Join us as Dr. Gilbert explains how and why the limitations of our imaginations may be getting in the way of our search for happiness.