‘Point in Common’ series brings happiness researcher to Stevens Point
2/3/2015
 

 

What are the keys to happiness in daily life? Find out as part of the “Point in Common” lecture series, sponsored by several local education organizations. 

“Happiness and the Wandering Mind” will be presented by researcher Matt Killingsworth on Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. at Sentry’s Theater@1800. It is free and open to the public. 

Killingsworth will share what he and others have discovered about the phenomenon of non-present thought and its relationship to happiness in daily life. He argues that human beings have what could be considered a mental superpower: the ability to step outside of the present moment to imagine the future, replay the past, and contemplate ideas that are outside of time altogether. 

Leading up to Killingsworth’s visit, Point in Common is sponsoring a contest for the public to create and share videos with the theme “What makes you happy?” Videos should be less than 30 seconds long with a goal of capturing and inspiring viewers. Individuals may enter the contest using #GetHappyPoint on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or by emailing videos to cps@uwsp.edu. The top three finalists will be chosen by Feb. 28 and featured prior to Killingsworth’s March 10 presentation. The best video will receive a $100 Portage County gift certificate, and two runners-up will receive $25 gift certificates. 

While working on Ph.D. research at Harvard University, Killingsworth invented an iPhone app called “Track Your Happiness” that captures feelings in real time. He's now a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar, examining topics such as "the relationship between happiness and the content of everyday experiences, the percentage of everyday experiences that are intrinsically valuable, and the degree of congruence between the causes of momentary happiness and of one’s overall satisfaction with life." 

The Point in Common series is sponsored by the Stevens Point Area Public School District, Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools, UW-Stevens Point School of Education, Mid-State Technical College, Sentry Insurance, Okray Family Farms, Phi Delta Kappa and the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin. 

To register or for more information, visit www.pointincommon.org. Free child care is available during the talk at Schmeeckle Reserve Visitors Center.

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Article Tags

CPS; Vibrant