Class Introduction1. DESIGNING HAPPINESS
J E N N I F E R AA K E R STAN F O R D U N I V E R S ITY G S B
aaker@gsb.stanford.edu • twitter.com/aaker
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
3. WHY AM I HAPPY TO BE HERE?
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
4. A PARADOX
• Americans richer than ever
yet no happier than 30 years
ago
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
5. A MYSTERY
80 45
Easterlin Paradox (1974):
Our wealth is increasing, but our happiness is not.
GDP per Capita ( Thousands of dollars)
40
Data Source : General Social Survey ( happiness ) / Bureau of Economic Analysis ( GDP per capita )
35
60
Pretty Happy
% Survey Responses
30
25
40
20
Very Happy
15
20
10
Not Very Happy 5
0 0
1972 1976 1980 1984 1988
Year 1992 1996 2000
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
7. The good life, as I conceive it,
is a happy life. I do not mean
that if you are good you will
be happy; I mean that if you
are happy you will be good.
Bertrand Russell
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
8. THE BUSINESS CASE FOR HAPPINESS
Job Burnout
Turnover intentions
Absenteeism
Source : Lyubormirsky, King and Diener. “The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success?” 2005.
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
9. Happiness leads people to
think, feel and act in ways that
promote resource building,
thought design, creative
thinking.
Isen 1998; Elliot and Thrash, 2001
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
11. MISCONCEPTIONS OF HAPPINESS
1. We think we know what
happiness is (but we don’t).
High degree of certainty when
asked to define happiness. But
relatively low frequency of
being in that state.
Csikszentmihalyi & Larsen (1987); Diener & Seligman (2002); Kahneman et al.
(2004);)Kahneman et al. (2006)
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
12. MISCONCEPTIONS OF HAPPINESS
2. We don’t really know what
makes us happy.
But we think we do.
Gilbert (2005) Lyubomirsky et al. (2005)
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
13. MISCONCEPTIONS OF HAPPINESS
3. We have ridiculous ideas on
how to ‘get happier’
The things we chase are often
not associated with happiness
in the long term. Or they are
untenable.
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
14. MISCONCEPTIONS OF HAPPINESS
4. Once we “get happy,”
expectation creep occurs.
When we accomplish our
mission, a fleeting sense of
happiness rushes in and then
drains away almost immediately.
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
16. MISCONCEPTIONS OF HAPPINESS
5. We assume happiness is
stable
It changes over the life cycle.
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
19. SO HOW MIGHT WE RETHINK HAPPINESS?
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
20. DESIGNING HAPPINESS
Ask what do you love
Not what features are important
Grab data
And visuals
Design for the past and future, not just present
Anticipating, experiencing + remembering happiness
Design to minimize pain
The power of negative outweighs positive
Don’t try to be happy or get happier
Design an environment that allows for happiness
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER
22. DESIGNING HAPPINESS
J E N N I F E R AA K E R STAN F O R D U N I V E R S ITY G S B
aaker@gsb.stanford.edu • twitter.com/aaker
DESIGNING HAPPINESS / © JENNIFER AAKER