Happiness and Stress as Determinants of Mental Health

Saturday September 9, 2006

Orpheum

The Dalai Lama will participate in discussions throughout the day with leading researchers on the topic of enhancing authentic happiness and physical well-being.

The dialogue, moderated by Dr. Tony Phillips, Director of the Institute of Mental Health, UBC, will include presentations by:

• Dr. Edward Diener ("Dr.Happiness"), Alumni Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois, Chair of the Positive Experience Network of the Positive Psychology Institute, editor of the Journal of Happiness Studies and who has explored the field of happiness for close to 25 years
• Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a Psychology Professor at the University of California who has spent the majority of her research career studying human happiness and looking at issues such as why some people are happier than others, identifying the benefits of happiness and exploring the architecture of sustainable happiness
• Dr. Paul Ekman who is internationally recognized as the leading authority on human expression and the identification of underlying emotion
• Dr. Michael Meaney, James McGill Professor of Medicine and Director of the Program for the Study of Behaviour, Genes and Environment at McGill University, who was one of the first researchers to identify the importance of maternal care in modifying the expression of genes that regulate behavioural and neuron-endocrine responses to stress
• Dr. Allan Young, LEEF Chair in Depression Research and Associate Director, UBC Institute of Mental Health
• Dr. Dacher Keltner, Director of the Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory and Co-Director of the Center for the Development of Peace and Well-being, whose research has included the study of how humans negotiate moral concerns
• Dr. Deepak Chopra, best-selling author and leader in the field of mind / body medicine.

See Speakers / Participants for biographies of participants.