Subjective Wellbeing - what is happiness?

Hi everyone

Many thanks for joining the group - I am writing to you with regards to notifying you about future meetings.

Location: It has been suggested that a quiet venue where people can meet over a coffee/glass of oj/vino and actually hear themselves as opposed to a pub - I propose to meet at the royal Festival Hall near Waterloo as it is well connected and easy to find places. Any other suggestions on suitable central quiet venue that can accommodate numbers of people without booking welcome, please email me.

Timing: given that most people have commitments at the weekend, mid-week seems to be more plausible. Monday and Wednesday have been proposed dates when most people can make it. Therefore I have scheduled the next meet-ups for Monday 12 March and Wednesday 21st March. If people would like to combine

Themes: I would like to introduce structure based on solid research from psychology which will help guide conversation as well as educate. I am happy to provide questionnaires to people as well as suggested reading materials both ahead and after the meetings and more structured notes but would like to find out how people feel about that (as afterall not all people like academic info). Given previous experience organising other meet-ups such as London Business Starters, I feel that by charging a small nominal meetup fee this would ensure we get committed rsvps and people genuinely interested in both contributing to the group and learning. I also however would like to ensure that people come away with some practical tips on happiness and wellbeing and would like to still ensure openness so I propose to run both - more socialising related general meetings, as well as structured paid ones. The proposed structure will loosely cover the following broad themes: Hedonic versus Eudaimonic happiness – Subjective wellbeing, Whether or not we can measure happiness and the use of various interventions, Positive emotions, Self-esteem and self-confidence, Motivation and Goal setting, Creativity, Personal Meaning as well as more general practical exercises. For some depending on time and what the group wants we may spend more than one meeting.

Last but not least am sure you are all aware of the movement Action for Happiness and recent UK screenings of the film “Happy” - if you would like to get involved in the campaign please take time to check it out www.actionforhappiness.org (http://www.actionforhappiness.org/) or here on meet up.

I hope you can make it! Please feel free to message me for any questions/feedback.