How can you get happier?

7 November: As part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science on the theme of health and wellbeing, Paul Dolan introduces his new podcast series, Get Happier, which aims to help you improve your own happiness and the happiness of those around you, at home and at work, without too much effort. Click here for more details on attendance (in person or virtual).

Stability and Governance:
is decision-making in policy flawed?

The combined effects of ecological and public health disasters and economic and geopolitical vulnerabilities may lead towards a tendency for governments to be over-cautious. Is the decision-making process in government fit for purpose? During this talk at the World Government Summit in Dubai, February 2023, Paul offered insight into how decisions made in public policy are often flawed, and how we need to cast out old narratives and biases in favour of new and more diverse opinions.

Grappling with Group Think

Paul took part in a panel at the Conservative Party Conference on October 4, alongside Greg Clark MP, Chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee and former Secretary of State, Steve Baker MP, and former Director of Strategic Communication at No.10 Downing Street Laura Trott MP. Among other issues, they looked at how to make smarter policy by embedding CBA, ‘red team’ challenge, scenario planning and not just group think, but also group say and group do. You can watch the full session in the video below.

Lessons learned from the pandemic

May 13 2021: Over a year on from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, what key lessons have been learnt that should shape the policies that national and global actors should pursue? Hosted by LSE’s School of Public Policy. You can watch the full video here.

A Decade of Behavioural Science at LSE

In this fireside chat (in two parts) Paul Dolan reflected on ten years of behavioural science at LSE with Grace Lordan, discussing biases, narratives, happiness, resilience and more. They discussed the learnings from behavioural science in the last 10 years, drawing from research from LSE and beyond. They also mapped out the most important and exciting areas of study.

Why Aren't The Public Demanding More Emphasis is Placed on Happiness?

Gus O'Donnell and Paul Dolan discussed the role of happiness in public policy. Read more here.

Lives, Livelihoods and Lockdowns: debating COVID-19 policy trade-offs.

“The policy responses to COVID-19 have involved severe restrictions on the contact we have with other people. By and large, the restrictions have been imposed on everyone irrespective of their risks from the virus. Some people consider this to be the most effective way to deal with impact of the virus, whilst others have argued that our policy responses ought to be targeted at those most at risk of morbidity and mortality. This panel discussion will seek to flush out the costs and benefits of these and other possible approaches.”

TEDxGlasgow - Conversations worth having - What is the Future of Society?

Join our host, former BBC presenter, journalist and current affairs specialist Clare English, and our panel of esteemed speakers as we consider whether our current experience of the coronavirus crisis can make for a better society in the future. We’ll be discussing what kind of society we want and how we can create and maintain it. We’ll question what made us adapt to kinder ways during this pandemic and whether we are likely to revert back to our previous, everyday way of life as the new reality kicks in. What good things should we keep if anything and can we - without changing the basis of our economy and society? Join speakers Andy Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England; Professor Paul Dolan, author and Behavioural Scientists from the London School of Economics, and Iman Amrani from The Guardian live on Zoom as we gather virtually to ask: What is the future of society?

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19: from mortality to misery?

In the current crisis, government policies, such as physical distancing, are paying enormous attention to the mortality risks of COVID-19 to the exclusion of the wellbeing hits borne elsewhere (e.g. mental health, loneliness, domestic violence, child welfare, physical health, and addiction). Is this as it should be when lives are at stake? If not, what can be done to ensure that misery is placed on a more equal footing with mortality?

Behavioural Science in the Context of Great Uncertainty.

The impacts of COVID-19 and how we deal with them hinge on how politicians, firms and the public respond. What lessons can we learn from behavioural science about how we act in a time of crisis characterised by great uncertainty? What lessons can behavioural science learn about how it can be best placed to provide guidance in an uncertain world?

Prof Paul Dolan on Nudgestock 2020: I'm pro young, not anti old. Why aren't the responses to COVID-19 paying more attention to inequalities over the lifetime?

More information on Nudgestock can be found here.

Hay Festival Digital: Paul Dolan and Magdalena Skipper talk to Rosie Boycott

"What are the medical imperatives? What are the dangers of the virus, isolation, domestic abuse, mental health crises and poverty? By focusing on the most vulnerable and elderly, are we doubling down on generational injustice? The behavioural economist Paul Dolan, author of Happy Ever After discusses the societal pressures and implications with Magdalena Skipper, the editor of Nature magazine."

Watch the full event on Hay Player here.

Prof. Paul Dolan on Hay Festival Digital: F**k The Narrative

"There are many narratives about how we should live our lives. We should seek success, for example, and we are masters of our own destiny. We use these narratives as sticks to beat others with if they don’t conform. I will consider whether these narratives are good for us and why we care way too much about what others do. Dolan is Professor of Behavioural Science at the LSE and author of Happy Ever After."