This talk presents both surprising and not-so-surprising information on the science behind happiness.

• What role do money, marriage, friends, children, weather, and age play in making us feel happier?
• Is happiness stable over time?
• How can happiness be increased?

Professor Catherine Sanderson will describe cutting-edge research from the field of positive psychology on the factors that do (and do not) predict happiness, and provide participants with practical (and relatively easy!) ways to increase their own psychological well-being.

Professor Catherine Sanderson is the Poler Family Professor and Chair of Psychology at Amherst College, and is often cited as the school’s most popular professor. Her research has received grant funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health. She has published over 25 journal articles in addition to three college textbooks.

In 2012, she was named one of the country’s top 300 professors by the Princeton Review.