The Happiness Conference, October 26

9:30–10:45 — Prof. Oren Kaplan: How Is It Possible That After Three Years of War, Israel Is Still One of the World’s Happiest Countries?

How is it possible that after years of war, loss, uncertainty, and ongoing tension, Israel is still at the top of the global happiness index? Perhaps because happiness is not the opposite of hardship, and does not require us to ignore it. The lecture will examine what positive psychology can teach us about Israeli resilience, the role of relationships, meaning, and hope, and the possibility of cultivating mental well-being precisely within a complex reality.

11:00–12:00 — Dr. Liraz Margalit: Can Money Buy Happiness?

We like to say that money cannot buy happiness. Research reveals something much more interesting: money can in fact buy happiness, but most of us do not really know how to use it.

In this lecture, we will examine how much money really matters, why even a significant salary increase quickly becomes “normal,” and how the exact same amount of money can produce entirely different levels of happiness—depending on whether we spend it on another object, an experience, free time, or something for someone else.

Above all, we will try to understand why we are so bad at predicting what will make us happy, and how we can make money work a little better for us.

12:45–14:00 — Dr. Micah Goodman: Smartphones, Presence, and Happiness

The digital revolution and the proliferation of smartphones have triggered two acute crises that have affected human society as a whole: the political crisis, which has created polarization and violent discourse; and the psychological crisis, which has led to increased levels of depression and anxiety around the world.

In this lecture, we will discuss the psychological crisis and the damage to attention and presence resulting from the proliferation of smartphones, as well as how we can overcome this harm and live more present and happier lives—even with smartphones.

14:30–16:00 — Dr. Haim Shapira: Happiness: A Philosophical Guide

“​​Happiness does not exist, and yet one morning you wake up and discover that it has disappeared.”

In this lecture, we will review philosophical thinkers and important, innovative psychological research on happiness. Among other topics, we will discuss desire as a betrayal of happiness; the connection between happiness and pleasure; the illusion of “I’ll be happy when…”; the disease of envy; the focusing illusion; the happy volunteer effect; and the connection between happiness, love, and friendship.

About the Speakers

Professor Oren Kaplan is a clinical psychologist and economist specializing in post-trauma and resilience, and one of the first researchers of positive psychology in Israel. He directs the Positive Psychology Program at Lahav, Tel Aviv University, and serves as an adviser to the Resilience and Physician Health Forum of the Israel Medical Association. He treats anxiety disorders in his private clinic. Over the past year, he has supported many active-duty and reserve soldiers coping with PTSD. He was a member of the academic faculty of the College of Management for 30 years, serving, among other roles, as dean of the School of Business Administration and president of the College of Management.

Dr. Liraz Margalit holds a doctorate in psychology, specializing in game theory and behavioral economics. She lectures at Reichman University and is the academic director of the Customer Experience course at the Center for Executive Training.

Liraz specializes in mindset design, behavior change, habit formation, and consumer behavior. She advises leading organizations in Israel and around the world, including Nike, Nestlé, Bank Hapoalim, Playtika, Dun & Bradstreet, and JP Morgan. Her book Mind Engineering became a bestseller and received widespread acclaim.

Dr. Micah Goodman is one of Israel’s leading public intellectuals. He hosts the podcast The Party of Ideas with Efrat Rosenberg-Shapira, is the author of numerous nonfiction books on Judaism, philosophy, politics, and the connections between them, and holds a PhD in Jewish Thought. He is widely known for his popular lectures and books.

Dr. Haim Shapira is a multidisciplinary Israeli lecturer and researcher, holding a doctorate in mathematics and a doctorate in science education. Shapira is best known to the general public for his popular lectures and the eight books he has written on philosophy and mathematics, all of which became bestsellers. Alongside his academic career as a lecturer and researcher and the publication of his engaging books, Haim Shapira has gained recognition as a one-of-a-kind multidisciplinary lecturer. His books and lectures have received international acclaim and connect broad knowledge with various theories about life and the world.