The lecture I chose from TED is "The surprising science of happiness", given by Dan Gilbert, Harvard psychologist and author. It took place on Feburary 2004 in Monterey California. I chose this lecture because it was on happiness from a cognitive psychologic aspect, a branch in psychology I happen to be studying right now and am quite interested in.
To jump to the link, click on below:
Here is a short summary of the lecture. Dan Gilbert explains the difference between natural happiness, something we get when we get what we wanted, and synthetic happiness, something we make when we don't get what we wanted. Although in our society, we have a strong bias that synthetic happiness is inferior to natural hapiness, in the lecture we learn that there is actually no difference.
The most interesting thing I learned in this lecture was that you are happier with something you are left no choice with than something you are allowed to change your mind about. Dan used an example of an experiment he did on his students in Harvard, making them take 12 photographs of their favorite things and choose two of their best ones. Then, they were asked to again choose between the one they wanted to keep and the one to submit to school headquarters, which would not be sent back to them. The trick was that half of the students were told that they will not be permitted to change their minds about their choice, and the other half were given opposite directions. Surprisingly, when Dan asked the students how much they liked the photo that they chose to keep a several days later, the students who were told that they couldn't take back their choice liked their photo better than the students who were able to change their minds.
This was not the first lecture I viewed on Ted, but it was one of the most educating, interesting , and enjoyable. I liked how Dan used body jestures to express key points in his lectures and included simple jokes every now and then. His power point would have been better if it was clearer and more organized, but overall, I enjoyed the lecture very much. I would recommend it to anyone interested in psychology and being happy with your life.
Hi! This is Kaori. Reading and actually watching the one you chose, it was interesting to know that people are happier when they are left with no other options. I felt that this experiment is similar to life in reality. In life there are many choices but the decisions you make can never be changed. That is how life is and even though people sometimes regret the choices they made, eventually they start to accept it and become happy. The decisions I have made cannot be changed but I am satisfied with what I have now and the people I am with. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLike Kaori, it seems that no option happiness is the best kind. Does that also apply to things like surprises that make you happy? Sometimes unexpected things bring people great happiness. Then again, you could reject the surprise if it doesn't make you happy. I think happiness is more complicated than the speaker says.
ReplyDeleteMs. MacGregor