This is a past event
The Anderson lecture is an annual public event organised by the School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen. The lecture is held in honour of the Anderson Chair in Psychology, which is the oldest such chair in the United Kingdom.
Most of us think we know what would make us happy and that our only problem is getting it. But research in psychology, economics, and neuroscience shows that people are not very good at predicting what will make them happy, how happy it will make them, or how long that happiness will last. Is the problem that we can’t really imagine what our futures will hold? Is the problem that society lies to us about the true sources of human happiness? The answers are yes and yes, respectively. Professor Gilbert will explain why, when it comes to finding happiness, we can’t always trust our imaginations - or our mothers.
The Anderson lecture is an annual public event organised by the School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen. The lecture is held in honour of the Anderson Chair in Psychology, which is the oldest such chair in the United Kingdom. The chair was founded in 1896 at the bequest from Reverend William Anderson and funded by the money left in his will. Originally called the Anderson Lectureship in Comparative Psychology, it appointed a distinguished scholar to teach a course on relations between thought and language. George Frederick Stout held the first Anderson lectureship, followed by James Lewis McIntyre whose tenure saw the creation of the Psychology Department. Anderson Lectureship was elevated to the Anderson Chair in Psychology in 1946. An illustrious line of highly distinguished professors has held the post since, with the current chair being Professor Neil Macrae.
- Speaker
- Professor Daniel Gilbert
- Venue
- King's Conference Centre, University of Aberdeen
- Contact
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Free, no booking required.