Session Overview
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This final lecture considers psychological perspectives on human nature (evolutionary psychology) and how to live our lives (happiness). For instance, to what extent do attitudes and behaviors about sex and race have evolutionary roots? Does more money, more vacation time, or more choice actually make us happier? Can we predict what things will make us happy, and act upon those predictions? Keywords: racism, sexuality, happiness, affective forecasting, paradox of choice, positive psychology Image: Public domain. |
Session Activities
Readings
There are no assigned readings for this session.
Lecture Videos
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- Evolutionary Psychology: Views on Sexuality and Race
- Happiness: Can It Be Measured and Studied?
- Predicting Happiness: Affective Forecasting, the Paradox of Choice
Video Resources
- Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) self-assessment (handout distributed during class)
- Lecture Slides (PDF)
Further Study
These optional resources are provided for students that wish to explore this topic more fully.
| TYPE | CONTENT | CONTEXT |
|---|---|---|
| Supplemental reading | Clark, R. D., III & E. Hatfield. “Gender Differences in Receptivity to Sexual Offers.” Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality 2 (1989): 39–55. (PDF) | Paper referenced in lecture video about womens’ and mens’ responses to three propositons (date, apartment, sex) |
| Supplemental video | Dan Gilbert “The Surprising Science of Happiness” TED Talks, 2004. Accessed October 19, 2023. [0:21:20] | Talk by Prof. Daniel Gilbert, a leading researcher on happiness and affective forecasting |
