Happy Ever After

“Today’s guest is Prof. Paul Dolan. Paul is author of Happy Ever After – Escaping The Myth of The Perfect Life and Professor of Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Paul draws on new research about wellbeing, inequality and life satisfaction to dispel some of the common myths about our sources of happiness. We discuss the common narratives and myths around happiness that many of us adhere to and follow, why we judge others who dare to step outside these narratives and the importance of purpose.”

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“We are under so much pressure to be happy. The market has exploded with self help happiness books and we see post after post on Instagram telling us to live our lives to the full. In times of adversity we’re told to ‘keep our chin up’ and ‘turn that frown upside down’. But is it truly possible to be happy all the time? Are human emotions like sadness and anger to be avoided at all costs, or are they in fact a fundamental component of human nature? And how can we be told to be happy 24/7 when in the same breath we’re also told not to be ashamed of negative emotions? Either way, with depression rates at an all time high and stress levels surging, it seems we haven’t quite got happiness figured out. Today I’m here with Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioural Science and expert on human behaviour and happiness, to understand what truly makes us happy.”

Listen to the podcast here.

“Last month, I gave a talk about my new book, Happy Ever After, at the Hay Festival. My comments about marriage and kids got a lot of attention in the media. One of things I said was “If you’re a man, you should probably get married. If you’re a woman, don’t bother. If you’re a man, you basically calm down… you take less risks, you earn more money at work, you live a little longer. She on the other hand has to put up with that – and she dies sooner than if she had never married. The healthiest and happiest population subgroup are women that have never married and never had children [audience laughs]…. We love it when evidence confirms what we always knew. That’s called confirmation bias by the way. But that’s interesting because the narrative is something quite different.””

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“‘Don’t pity the single ladies, author says – they’re probably happier than you.’
A new book suggests that while society expects them to be sad and lonely, single women who don’t have children are actually a very happy population. Not everyone agrees with the idea, however. We chat with the author, as well as people on either side of the debate.”

“What really makes us happy? Is it a big house, lots of money, marriage and children? Not necessarily. Yet so many of us base what we do upon the ‘stories’ we tell ourselves of what we think should make us happy without paying attention to whether these things actually do make us happy day-to-day. Professor of behavioural science and guest on this week’s podcast, Professor Paul Dolan, believes that happiness is subjective in every way and if we free ourselves from the myth of the perfect life we might each find a life that is worth living.”

Listen to the episode here.

“On the face of it, it’s rather odd that there is an International Day of Happiness. Don’t we live every day trying to be happy?

Well, not really. As a professor of behavioural science at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), I spend a lot of my working life trying to work out what makes people happy. Often, that means looking beyond what they say makes them happy, and towards the evidence base provided by research, which paints a different picture.”

Read the article here (subscription required).

Did you miss the LSE book launch of Happy Ever After? Or perhaps you have a burning question that wasn’t answered? Professor Paul Dolan is going to continue the conversation and is holding a more intimate discussion and book signing session where there will be refreshments provided.

After a very short introduction from Paul, the event will be an extended Q&A where you will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about escaping the myth of the perfect life.

If you do not already have a copy of the book they will be available for you to purchase at the session, where Paul will sign your book on the day.

(The event has now ended)