The papers and presentations might consider (but are not limited to) the following areas and research questions:
– Portrayals of happiness in popular arts (movies, literature, music, photography, etc.), and in different popular genres (romance, detective, horror, country, rock, game shows, reality shows, etc.);
– Portrayals of happiness considered against the background of different cultures, ideologies, and/or historical periods (for example, the relationship between the patriarchy in the 1950s and the portrayals of women’s happiness in popular movies of the time);
– Mass media and happiness. Mass media have been accused of pitching their product to the lowest common denominator. How does this correlate with happiness?
– Happiness as it is portrayed in social media and the impact of these portrayals on communities and individuals nationally and internationally. (For example, Facebook and the new happiness-related emotional disorder, fear of missing out [FOMO]);
– Happiness and new technologies (e.g., meditation and dating apps);
– Popularity and happiness. Popular products are popular because many people choose them. Do they choose them for their happiness-making properties? (If so, what are those properties?) Or, is the relationship between popular products and the positive emotions they elicit (if they do) more complex?
– Does enjoying popular arts (movies, detective stories, popular music, etc.,) make us happy? How and why? Is there a happiness catharsis? If so, does it work to our advantage?
– The relationship between different music genres and happiness;
– Happiness as a subject of scientific research (in psychology, neuroscience, economy, etc.) in the US during the past two decades, and its context;
– The intersection of the scientific views of happiness, the attitudes to happiness in the business community, and the socioeconomic and management systems in which they occur;
– The intersection of happiness, gender, and ideology in the political arena (for example, in an election);
– New paths to happiness (yoga, meditation, volunteering, be yourself, etc.);
– Old standards of happiness: success, money, family;
– The various uses of happiness for objectives other than making people happy (and the cultural, socioeconomic, and political context in which they occur):
- in education (where trainings, such as the training based on The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey and Stephen R. Covey, have been used to train children to be responsible for their own success);
- in business (happiness training for business executives is all the rage, often promising to increase their productivity while making them happier);
- in advertising (happiness—that is, its absence—is often the main selling point for just about anything);
- in medicine (where positive mood is seen as being important for healing);
– Demonstrations of popular happiness-training strategies;
– Critical analyses of the uses of happiness as a carrot to elicit desirable behaviors, such as compliance, hard work, purchasing choices, etc.;
– Portrayals (by the dominant/mainstream culture) of happiness in various minority groups, sometimes (often?) to justify oppression; etc.; and so on.
In short, the proposed papers might trace, describe, analyze, and/or examine the connections and lines of intersection between happiness and any of the phenomena that make up our cultural landscape, such as popular arts, popular media, ethnicity, cultural values, different ideologies, various sciences and humanities, economic class, gender, globalization etc., with the intention of understanding their interaction and its results. Authors might choose to confirm previous findings, question and/or assume a critical stance towards the subjects of their exploration, or propose a new approach.
Please see a more detailed list under each menu.
International Aspects of Happiness
Happiness and Culture 