The science of happiness

Welcome to “Skeptic Dinners,” a series of events facilitated by Prof. Massimo Pigliucci, a philosopher and biologist at the City College of New York. The idea is similar to that of the Ancient Greek symposia: let’s get a small number of like-minded people together over drinks and food and discuss interesting subjects!

Everyone wants to be happy, so much so that Aristotle thought it nonsensical to ask someone if they want to be happy. Of course they do. Happiness, in his terminology, is an intrinsic good, something that is sought for its own sake and for nothing else.

Almost two and a half millennia later, what does science tell us about what makes people happy? Join us for a discussion of the famous decade-long Harvard study on the nature of happiness, and see if you agree with its conclusions!

Suggested reading: Good genes are nice, but joy is better (Harvard Gazette)

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Please note the new location!

Also NOTE: Since these are dinner events at a restaurant, which require reservations, you are expected to consume some food. Please treat your rsvp seriously and update it if you decide not to come. If you don’t and we end up with empty seats, you may be barred from some of the next meeting. Thanks for understanding!