Speakers
Prof. Dr. Song Yan
Professor of Psychology, Psychology & Methods
Focus Area Diversity, Jacobs University, Germany
Prof. Dr. Song Yan is the Professor of Psychology at Jacobs University Bremen. She is a Member of the Research Center “CoWell: Cognition and Decision, Values & Well Being” as well as Director of the Research Center “Culture – Cognition – Education.” Dr. Yan also holds the position of the Guest Research Professor at the Psychology Research Center of Fudan University, Shanghai/China, and Distinguished Professor at Yunnan Normal University, Kunming/China.
Presentation: Perceiving Happiness across Cultures
All humans strive for happiness. However, does happiness mean the same for all humans, or is it something that varies across cultures? Is happiness of equal importance in different cultures and is it valued in the same way? Are there differences in what makes people happy in different cultures and so the means to achieving happiness? Apart from the impact of economic factors, why are some societies happier than others and what cultural norms and practices might contribute to these variations? My presentation will share some insights from psychological research on how cultures differ in their concepts and beliefs regarding happiness, and how the perception of happiness or Subjective Well-Being (SWB) is shaped by cultural traditions. The implications of cross-cultural research for finding a “recipe for happiness”, in order to improve overall well-being in the contemporary, globalized world will be discussed.
Dr. Klaus Boehnke
Professor of Social Science Methodology
Vice Dean, Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences
Jacobs University, Germany
Klaus Boehnke holds a professorship in social science methodology at Jacobs University Bremen. He earned his doctorate in Psychology from Technische Universität Berlin. He is also the Vice Dean of the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) and Co-PI of the Bertelsmann Cohesion Radar project. Before he came to Bremen, he was Professor of Socialization Research and Methodology at the Department of Sociology of Technische Universität Chemnitz. Klaus Boehnke’s research oeuvre encompasses work in diverse spheres of political socialization. He has published his work in leading journals, e.g., Science.
Presentation: Societal Cohesion: The Pathway to Global Happiness?
Societal cohesion stands for the quality of interactions among the members of a community, defined in geo-political terms, most prominently nation-states. Cohesion is based on resilient social relationships, a positive emotional connectedness to the social entity at stake, and a strong focus on the common good in a society. `Commissioned by Bertelsmann Foundation, a research team headed by the author assessed the cohesion of 34 EU and OECD countries. Looking into the causes of social cohesion, the study finds a country's wealth, the (low) degree of its income inequality, and its level of development towards an information society to be among the most important socio-economic factors. By contrast, countering the widespread belief that immigration dispels social cohesion, the study concludes that there is no significant association between a country's share of immigrants and the extent to which society holds together. The study further shows that even if prosperity (GDP) is leveled out statistically, societal cohesion in the OECD world is strongly positively related to diverse happiness indicators, while being negatively related to levels of religiosity in a country.
Prof. Dr. Klaus Schömann
Adjunct Professor of Sociology
Jacobs University, Germany
Klaus Schömann is head of program at the German Institute of Adult Education, the Leibniz Center for Lifelong Learning based in Bonn. He is also professor of sociology at Jacobs University Bremen. His major research areas are Sociology of education, labour markets and the life course.
After a Masters in Cardiff, Great Britain, he completed his Ph.D. at the Free University of Berlin, Germany. After 2 years in Paris at UNESCO headquarters he returned to research on labour market policies at the Social Science Research Center in Berlin. Since 2004 he is a Professor of Sociology at Jacobs Universtiy Bremen and lived with his family as College Master in the international community during 8 years. Consulting activities have taken place in conjunction with ILO, OECD and the European Commission as well as private enterprises. His work was published in the American as well as the European Sociological Review, International Sociology and the Journal of Health and Social Behavior amongst others.
Presentation: Happiness: Interaction of Biology, Psychology and Social Context
Happiness is usually referred to as a “state of mind”, or a perception in which a person assesses overall his or her current internal state, either affectively and/or cognitively. In surveys persons are asked for example: please tell me on a scale from 1 to 10 how happy you are at the moment. We challenge this perspective and highlight that there are additionally distinct subdomains like satisfaction with one’s job or with one’s family life which might deviate substantially from each other. Therefore we arrive at more precise statements like: job tenure is more important than chronological age for job satisfaction. Generally for happiness loss aversion seems a powerful strategy to stay happy. For job satisfaction the honeymoon and a subsequent hangover effect have to be taken into account.
The interaction of biological, psychological and societal effects jointly drive the perception of happiness. The Greek philosophers’ concept of “eudaimonia” highlighted that beyond happiness measured at the person level there are questions of what constitutes a good life. Lifelong learning has a role to play here.
Dr. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve
Associate Professor of Economics and Strategy, Saïd Business School, UK
Fellow, Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, UK
Jan's research interests are in behavioural economics and political economy. The underlying theme throughout his research is the study of human wellbeing. This ongoing research agenda has led to new insights in the relationship between happiness and income, economic growth, and inequality. Significant new findings have also been published on the objective benefits of subjective wellbeing and in uncovering the genetic architecture of human wellbeing. Methodologically, Jan’s research is empirically applied and often employs experimental designs. Ongoing research includes field experiments in collaboration with national tax administrations that trial innovative procedures centered on transparency and participation with regards to public spending. These interventions aim to raise taxpayer satisfaction and also nudge taxpayers towards greater tax compliance. Jan has joined John Helliwell, Richard Layard, and Jeffrey Sachs as co-editor of the next World Happiness Report. He is also Deputy Principal Investigator for the ESRC What Works Centre for Wellbeing.
Prior to joining Oxford, Jan was Assistant Professor in Political Economy and Behavioural Science at University College London and a Visiting Professor in Economics and Political Science at INSEAD. He is affiliated with the Centre for Economic Performance at LSE and with the Centre for Experimental Social Sciences at Nuffield College. He is also a Research Advisor to the Gallup Organization.
He obtained his PhD from the LSE and was a Fulbright scholar at Harvard University. His research and commentary regularly feature in the media, including in The Economist, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, and on the BBC. He is a frequent speaker at academic and non-academic conferences including at PopTech and TED.
