Where: Sabine's house
When: Sunday, Dec. 15, 5-7pm
Bring: Any fruits or savoury items you care to for fill ingredients, and any drinks to share.
Dinner: Crepes (fruit, chocolate sauce, savory)
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Thanks, everyone, for voting. It was neck and neck there for a while 🫣 🤣 between psychology of humor & Hidden Brain’s podcast episode “What’s better than being happy?” The podcast episode won out by two votes though. This makes our January topic easy, plus exploring humor in deep, dark January may be just the thing!
I know one or two folks (Mike Fanning!) do not favour podcast episodes, but this podcast is much like a quality long-journal article rooted in research layers. It is created by human behaviour / social science journalist Shankar Vedantam (former Washington Post / current NPR, originally from Bengaluru, India) and his guest in this episode is, psychologist/professor Jordi Quoidbach (grew up / studied in Belgium, lives in Barcelona).
Two potentially good things about our topic with the holiday - 1. Among holiday busyness, prep for banter will be easy and streamlined with all of us just needing to listen to the same 58 minute podcast episode. No other prep reading needed. And here it is:
2. The topic may be a particularly good one since holidays push and promote cheer and merriment, but often are rife with all the other layers of human emotions too - those certainly left off our greeting cards and out of caroller's songs. Here is Hidden Brain’s summary of the topic:
"Many of us go to great lengths to be happy. But is our singular focus on feeling good actually making us miserable? This week, psychologist Jordi Quoidbach explores what happens when we try to live in an emotional monoculture, and makes a case for letting it all in — the ups … and the downs."
I know that Lavonne, Blase, Mitch, Annette, Isaac, and I are coming since we picked this date, but for others of you, please confirm if you’re coming or if anyone is bringing a guest so I have a headcount for crepes! Bring any fruits or savoury items you care to for fill ingredients, and any drinks to share. I’ll have homemade chocolate sauce & a tall, warm stack of crepes.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Sabine
