Toward a Science of Well-Being?
Daniel Kahneman
(Princeton University)
April 12, 2005
MacMillan Hall,  Room 117

Abstract

The topic of well-being has been attracting increasing interest in several disciplines of social science in recent years. The central puzzle of this field is that the effects of life circumstances on well-being are surprisingly small - this is also known as the hedonic treadmill. A second puzzle is why people find the first puzzling: why is the extent of adaptation so surprising? Some recent developments in theory and method may contribute to a better understanding of both problems.