Can money buy happiness? Students in Dr. Jeff Langenderfer’s Happiness and Consumerism course explore this and other questions about how people’s choices on where to spend their time and money affect their well-being.
Langenderfer, a professor of marketing and law, got the idea for the class after supervising an honors thesis in which his student examined the connection between happiness and luxury purchases.
“One measure of happiness that the student used in her thesis is called subjective well-being (SWB), whether an individual perceives that they are doing well,” he said. “I started paying attention to papers in which SWB was a dependent variable as well as the factors that seemed to be associated with SWB, either positively or negatively.”
He was so intrigued by what he was seeing and reading that he decided to delve deeper, dedicating his 2022 sabbatical to developing a business class on the subject.
“I took several online courses on happiness from Harvard, Yale, and Cal-Berkeley, read everything I could get my hands on related to Happiness and Consumerism, and ultimately, this class was created,” he said.
Through lectures, readings, weekly reflections, sharing edible treats in class, and participating in exercises designed to maximize social connections among classmates, Langenderfer says students learn “to recognize counterproductive decision-making and to help them make better decisions.”
Langenderfer appreciates seeing students become more confident in their decision-making and in finding ways to be more intentional about bringing more joy into their lives.
“Students overwhelmingly seem grateful to be able to explore this subject and learn about their individual responses to the various exercises,” he said. “Sometimes, it helps them recognize when they need to make changes in their lives or careers to alter a path they have chosen. Other times, it reaffirms their choices to stay the course even during difficult periods in their lives, by recognizing what will matter in the long run.”
He recommends the course for anyone who “is seeking some insight into ways they can make their lives more fulfilling and joyful.”
Chances are, anyone who takes the course will finish it happier. Students who have taken it experience a measurable improvement in their well-being.
“[My students] take several happiness assessments at the beginning and end of the semester,” Langenderfer said. “Almost 90% report improved subjective well-being over the 15-week course.”
Melyssa Allen – News Director
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