BrainWave: The Geography of Bliss with author Eric Weiner and neuroscientist Emma Seppala January 21, 2008

Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Start Time: 7:00 pm End Time: 9:00 pm

Location: Theater

Category: Talks

Description

Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss: One Grump�s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, in conversation with neuroscientist Emma Seppala on whether happiness is a physical condition or an illusion.

Launch of a book by Eric Weiner which takes readers on a whirlwind tour of countries that are quietly pursuing the most American of obsessions - the pursuit of happiness - or, in the crabby author's case, moments of "un-unhappiness." The author is joined by Emma Seppala from the Stanford University Psychophysiology Lab to help him explore a different sort of geography � and map out where �happiness� can be registered in the brain.

Weiner doesn't profess to know what happiness is, but with a beguiling mixture of psychological insight, scientific research, geopolitical analysis and wry humor, he successfully shows us where happiness is.

Are people in Switzerland happier because it's the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Singapore benefit psychologically by having their options limited by the government. Is the King of Bhutan a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National Happiness? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy?

Emma Seppala (Stanford University�s Department of Psychology) recently received a Varela Grant from the Mind & Life Research Institute to do neuro-imaging research on the effects of meditation on positive emotion. She is fluent in English, German, French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and travels internationally to teach stress-reduction workshops with the Art of Living Foundation, a United Nations chartered NGO.

Program tickets are not refundable.
Guests who arrive after the start of the program may be admitted only at the sole discretion of RMA.

Contact: Box Office
Phone: 212.620.5000 ext.344

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