Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, discusses how our spending habits impact happiness. She emphasizes prioritizing experiences over material goods for greater life satisfaction. Dunn critiques traditional happiness strategies, revealing their limitations while promoting the joy of giving through a unique social experiment. Additionally, she explores mindful spending and the benefits of 'buying time' to enhance well-being, leaving listeners with valuable insights on aligning finances with happiness.
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insights INSIGHT
Happiness Research Critique
Some happiness-boosting strategies lack strong scientific evidence.
These include meditation, mindfulness, exercise, and spending time in nature, especially for non-clinical populations.
insights INSIGHT
Methodological Rigor Across Fields
Happiness research focuses on subjective well-being but other fields face similar issues.
Neuroscience and cancer research, for example, might have similar problems with methodological rigor.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Personalizing Happiness Practices
Try practices like meditation and exercise, but don't feel obligated if they don't work.
Person-activity fit is important; activities work for some and not for others.
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In this book, Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton explain how money can buy happiness if spent according to five core principles. These principles include buying experiences over material goods, making purchases a treat, buying time, paying now and consuming later, and investing in others. The authors draw on cutting-edge research in behavioral science to show how these principles can be applied by individuals and companies to create happier employees and customers. They also highlight how companies like Google, Pepsi, and Charmin have implemented these ideas successfully.
How We Live Is How We Die
Pema Chödrön
Stumbling on Happiness
Daniel Gilbert
In 'Stumbling on Happiness,' Daniel Gilbert delves into the human capacity to imagine the future and why we are often poor at predicting what will make us happy. Gilbert argues that our imagination is flawed in several ways: it adds or removes details, extrapolates from the present, and fails to account for the psychological immune system that helps us cope with undesired outcomes. The book uses scientific research from psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and behavioral economics to explain why we consistently misjudge our future satisfaction and how this affects our decisions. Gilbert also suggests that understanding these biases can help us make better choices and gain more control over our pursuit of happiness.
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How to spend your money in ways that will really boost your happiness and a look at the state of happiness research.
Dr. Elizabeth Dunn is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Dunn conducts experimental research examining how time, money, and technology shape human happiness. She is the co-author of “Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending” with Dr. Michael Norton. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, Time, CNN, and more.
10% Happier with Dan Harris 
