HAPPY?: TAKE A SECOND LOOK

Curators

LYNN SCARFF - PROGRAMME MANAGER, SCIENCE GALLERY

IAN ROBERTSON - SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

MALCOLM MAC LACHLAN - SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

Highlights

A GOOD LOOKING LAUGHFIONA NEWELL & BRENDAN CULLEN

THE ULTIMATE BEAUTY TIP?

If you are happier are you hotter? What role do looks, the sound of someone’s voice or even a sense of humour play in attraction? Could it be that it’s more than just a pretty face that appeals to us? This computer-based task will ask such questions, to reveal what determines our attraction to others.

• BOUND TO BEMICHAEL GORDON, RICHARD PIECH & JESSICA STANLEY

  WHAT’S YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO HAPPINESS?

  Do you connect well with others? How well do you choose a date? Are you ‘not a relationship person’? Do you enjoy other people’s company, or are you stressed out at the thought of social interaction? This experiment tests some of the personality characteristics that can influence how we choose a partner — and how this relates to well-being.

HAPPY SENSATIONFIONA NEWELL & BERNARD STIENEN

CAN YOU SENSE A SMILE?

Can you hear a happy expression? Does what we see and hear alter our perception of emotions, and what happens when multiple visual images and sounds reach the brain simultaneously? Find out in this experiment how perceiving happiness could influence our general awareness.

WORDS MATTERJEAN QUIGLEY & IAN ROBERTSON

DO YOUR WORDS COUNT?

Do the words we use indicate our level of well-being? How are language and happiness linked? And what role do speech patterns play in our psychological state? This experiment aims to discover if your sense of well-being and overall cognitive functioning can be assessed from the way you use language.

A MATTER OF PRIDELIZ NIXON, LORI SWORDS & CHARLOTTE WILSON

HAPPY TO BE IRISH?

How does your sense of national identity and satisfaction with your country affect your well-being? This study will explore what it means to be Irish and investigate the links between national pride and happiness.

• CAUSE AND EFFECTDAVID HEVEY

  HOW DOES HAPPINESS HAPPEN?

  Ever wondered what aspects of your life have the most influence on your happiness? What effect might these factors have on other areas of your life? Become part of this network analysis of subjective and psychological wellness to make your mark on a map of happiness that will form over the course of HAPPY?

HAPPY TO HELPKAREN HAND, MALCOLM MAC LACHLAN, STUART CARR & ROY BAUMEISTER

FEELING GENEROUS?

Do you ever feel you want to give to charity? What motivates you to give aid? Ireland is one of the world leaders in donations per capita in terms of emergency aid. As individuals, how does this relate to mood and personal values? This experiment will test the factors that influence our generosity. Using a series of prompts, we explore what will make people give aid and donate to charity?

WORKING IT OUTSAM CROMIE

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

How do people narrate their positive work experiences? How do they understand and express the meaning of their work? Work is often depicted as drudgery — but many of us also find joy in what we do. In our HAPPY? video booth, participants are invited to record themselves speaking about the positive meaning of their work

BODY TALKCAOIMHE HANNIGAN & SABINA BRENNAN

ARE THINGS LOOKING UP?

Can the way our body moves affect the way we think? Can simple motor actions such as head movement influence our memory recall? Find out how and why in this simple task, in which you are prompted to recall a particular memory, while moving marbles from one box to another.

FAIR’S FAIRLIZ NIXON, LORI SWORDS & CHARLOTTE WILSON

CAN A SMILE CHANGE THE MEANING OF A WORD?

Is it fair or is it fair? How do your mood and body work together when doing something as mundane as writing down words? Find out when you try this experiment.

RANDOM ACTS OF HAPPINESSEOIN GUBBINS & RUTH BYRNE

CAN WITNESSING GOOD DEEDS MAKE YOU A HAPPIER PERSON?

Have you ever seen someone help another without a thought for themselves? Can you recall a time when you witnessed an act of goodness? Is happiness to be found in observing such acts? In this experiment you will be asked to jot down your memory of such an act and consider how it made you feel. With the support of the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences.