From consumption to happiness: Quantifying the material basis for well-being
Time: 12:30pm to 1:20pm
Location: Beaty Museum Allan Yap Theatre
No food or drinks allowed in the Beaty Museum. Only water in sealable containers are allowed.
If you would like a Zoom link, please contact Bonnie Leung (bonnie.leung@ubc.ca) or Hannah Wittman (hannah.wittman@ubc.ca).
Talk summary:
This talk explores how household well-being relates to material consumption to delineate the material resources required to meet basic needs. Focusing on energy, food, mobility, housing, and time, this talk will reevaluate poverty assessment and eligibility criteria for federal assistance programs through a subjective well-being. The analysis highlights lifestyle factors associated with high well-being and low consumption in the Global North, offering pathways for sustainable prosperity. By integrating perspectives from positive psychology and public policy, this approach reimagines how societies can secure a high quality of life for everyone, beyond the limits of efficiency or consumption-driven paradigms.
Bio:
Karthik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Engineering at the University of British Columbia. His research bridges materials engineering, computational social science, and public policy, utilizing both experimental and computational methods to understand how materials shape human well-being. An overarching theme is to develop a material design framework that delineates material requirements for a good life within equitable environmental and societal bounds. Karthik Akkiraju holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.