Talks
Speakers
Events
Topics
Sign in
Home
Talks
Speakers
Events
Topics
Leaderboard
Use
Analytics
Sign in
Suggest modification to this talk
Title
Description
Who in this world would say "no" to being a little happier? Luckily for us there has been a lot of wonderful scientific studies done on human happiness. This talk will cover a number of my favorite studies in this field, and how they can be applied to life and careers in tech. ___________________________________________________________________________ Dustin is a Software Engineer at Spreedly who loves a good pun and riding his bike over bridges because the unabridged version is too long. In a previous life he was a Chemical engineer, but over the years he grew unhappy with factory work. His passion for researching everything he could find about human happiness led him to quit his job, join a bootcamp, spend a few months exploring South America, and finally jump into Software Engineering full time. Dustin calls Athens, GA home, but loves to travel whenever he can.
Date
Summarized using AI?
If this talk's summary was generated by AI, please check this box. A "Summarized using AI" badge will be displayed in the summary tab to indicate that the summary was generated using AI.
Show "Summarized using AI" badge on summary page
Summary
Markdown supported
In the presentation titled **The Pursuit of Happiness**, Dustin Haefele Tschan, a software engineer at Spreedly, explores scientific studies and concepts related to human happiness, particularly within the context of work and life in tech. Dustin shares insights from positive psychology and economic research, aiming to apply these findings to optimize happiness. ### Key Points Discussed: - **Background and Transition to Happiness Research:** Dustin shares his journey from being a chemical engineer to a software engineer. His dissatisfaction with factory work prompted him to explore happiness, leading him to boot camp and travels in South America. - **Introduction to Positive Psychology:** Positive psychology emerged in 1998, shifting the focus from a traditional disease model of psychology to one that examines well-being and happiness. - **Does Money Buy Happiness?** - Studies show a relationship between income and happiness. - Research by Daniel Kahneman found happiness increases with income up to $60,000-$90,000, while Matthew Killingsworth found rising trends continue up to $200,000. Collaborative research revealed discrepancies based on sample biases. - **Spending Habits:** - Happiness is higher for experiential purchases versus material possessions, prompting a suggestion to prioritize experiences in spending habits. - Pro-social spending (gifts to others, charitable donations) also correlates with increased happiness, equally impactful as higher income. - **Application at Work:** - Encouragement to utilize resources like professional development and time off for fostering happiness. Mentorship can provide mutual benefits to both mentor and mentee. - **Understanding 'Miswanting':** - Miswanting is the disconnect in our predictions of what will make us happy. Understanding this can help in making informed decisions and avoiding disillusionment. - Reducing negative influences and automating tasks can enhance happiness. - **Additional Findings:** Dustin discusses the ‘happiness U curve’, which indicates that happiness peaks at 18, dips until age 47, and then rises. Strong social bonds, creativity, authenticity, and mindfulness are consistently linked to higher happiness levels. ### Conclusion: Dustin emphasizes the importance of applying research on happiness to everyday decisions, suggesting that thoughtful spending on experiences and support for others can lead to greater overall fulfillment. He encourages individuals to understand their emotional forecasting better to enhance their happiness in both life and work.
Suggest modifications
Cancel
