“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.””
Prof. Paul Dolan on The Current podcast of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
“‘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.”
Prof. Paul Dolan on The Guardina and the furious reaction to the evidence that single people are more content
Photograph: Martin Wierink/Alamy Stock Photo
“There is plenty of evidence that single people are often more content than those in couples. But when I pointed this out, the furious reaction revealed the strength of ‘married is best’ prejudice”
Prof. Paul Dolan at 5×15 on The Myth of the Perfect Life
Prof. Paul Dolan on People.com on the healthiest and happiest population subgroup
“Good news for women feeling pressure to rush toward the altar and/or motherhood: You might be happier (and live longer!) just the way you are.
As reported by The Guardian, professor of behavioral science Paul Dolan said on Saturday that while “married people are happier than other population subgroups,” that only applies to “when their spouse is in the room when they’re asked how happy they are.””
Prof. Paul Dolan on The Guardian and the narratives of marriage and happiness
Photograph: Alamy
“Tchuh, women. Never bloody happy, are they? Except, it turns out, they are, just not in the way they were told to be, and thought they should be. According to a new book by Paul Dolan, a professor of behavioural science at the London School of Economics…”
Prof. Paul Dolan on the Independent and who the happiest people of all are
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
“Women who are not married and do not have children are the happiest group in the population, a prominent expert in happiness has said.
Paul Dolan, a professor of behavioural science at the London School of Economics, said unmarried and childless women are also likely to outlive their married child-rearing counterparts and are healthier than them.”
Prof. Dolan on The Observer and how traditional markers of success no longer apply
“We may have suspected it already, but now the science backs it up: unmarried and childless women are the happiest subgroup in the population. And they are more likely to live longer than their married and child-rearing peers, according to a leading expert in happiness.”
Prof. Dolan on The Telegraph and the key to happiness
Credit: Getty/David Levenson
“Want to live happily ever after? Then don’t have children, go to university or live near a Lottery winner.
Prof Paul Dolan, a ‘happiness expert’ from the London School of Economics, says our desire to keep up with the Joneses and have a family because that is expected of us can be detrimental to our wellbeing.”
Prof. Paul Dolan on LSE Research Highlights
“One of the most common ways we make sense of our lives is through stories. From the earliest cave paintings depicting spirits or symbols, to the fairy tales that offer moral messages to children, stories are a universal reference point helping to guide most people’s choices about how they live.
Professor Paul Dolan new book, The Happiness Myth, follows his bestselling Happiness by Design by looking at how the evidence challenges the narratives at the heart of our idea of wellbeing.”
Prof. Paul Dolan’s Happy Ever After launch at the London School of Economics
Prof. Paul Dolan launches his new book, Happy Ever After, exploring the narratives society installs in us, using good evidence to debunk bad stories.
Prof. Paul Dolan on Feel Better, Live More podcast with Dr. Chatterjee
“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.”
Prof. Paul Dolan writing for the The Telegraph: The secret to happiness? Don’t sweat the big stuff
“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.”
Prof. Paul Dolan on BBC Ideas for International Day of Happiness
It's #InternationalDayOfHappiness so here are 5 things you think will make you happy – but probably won't… pic.twitter.com/c6CMDRzKMH
— BBC Ideas? (@bbcideas) March 20, 2019
Prof. Paul Dolan on the Digested podcast talking about Happy Ever After
Whether it’s getting married, having kids or a high-paying job, society loves to tell us how to live our lives. Paul Dolan, professor of Behavioural Science at the LSE, explains why these preconceived narratives can be damaging to us as individuals, and how to find your own route to happiness, in his new book, Happy Ever After.
Event: Reflections on Happy Ever After
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.
Prof. Paul Dolan on Sky News Sunrise talking about Happy Ever After
Wired: Social media has totally warped how you think about happiness
Credit: Wired
“Happiness is complicated and driven by our societal norms. Behavioural science professor Paul Dolan’s new book attempts to explain why you’re approaching it incorrectly.”
Prof. Paul Dolan on BBC Breakfast talks about Happy Ever After
Financial Times: What price flexibility and a better work-life balance? Agile working is key to keeping parents in the workforce
“How much money do we need to make us happy? It is a much-debated question, but an answer I heard at a recent event in west London surprised me. To be truly content, it was said, people don’t need to be rich, they need “just enough”.”
Read the full article on the FT website here.
The Calmer You Podcast: Ep 42. Escaping The Myth Of The Perfect Life With Professor Paul Dolan
The Calmer You Podcast: In ‘Happy Ever After: Escaping the Myth of the Perfect Life’ bestselling happiness expert Professor Paul Dolan draws on a variety of studies covering issues such as wellbeing, inequality and discrimination to bust the common myths about our sources of happiness. He shows that there can be many unexpected paths to lasting fulfilment. Some of these might involve not going into higher education, choosing not to marry, rewarding acts rooted in self-interest and caring a little less about living for ever.
By freeing ourselves from the myth of the perfect life, we might each find a life worth living.
Prof. Paul Dolan on escaping the myth of the perfect life
The Times – Paul Dolan interview: the author of Happiness By Design speaks to Robert Crampton
Read the full article here.
The Times – Review: Happy Ever After: Escaping the Myth of the Perfect Life by Paul Dolan — how to find happiness
Read the full review here.
The Guardian: Want to transform your life? Stop chasing perfection.
“One of the most rigorous articulations of the new mood of acceptance is Happy Ever After: Escaping the Myth of the Perfect Life by Paul Dolan, a professor of behavioural science at the LSE and, the publicity material explains, “an internationally renowned expert in human behaviour and happiness”. His book is a persuasive demolition of many of our cultural stories about how we ought to live, including the idea that there’s anything particularly desirable about being a senior academic or a renowned expert.”
Read the full article here.
Prof. Paul Dolan on BBC Start the Week on his new book Happy Ever After
Penguin articles – Stop looking for ‘the one’: how to escape the myth of a perfect life
In Happy Ever After, Paul Dolan dispels some of the most common myths about what makes us happy. Here are five things you should stop doing in order to escape the myth of perfection, and truly find lasting fulfilment.
Read the full article here.
The Observer – The money, job, marriage myth: are you happy yet?
Read an extract from Prof. Paul Dolan’s new book, Happy Ever After at The Observer here.