Talk: The Neuroscience of Happiness with Dr Jonathan Iliff

We are all in the pursuit of happiness. So what is it and where is it?

In this talk we’ll be looking inside the brain and the mind to understand the science of happiness. We’ll learn from the locations and mechanisms of pleasure and reward in the brain and ask if this is happiness, and we’ll see how heroin addicts are hacking their fundamental biology to find theirs.

We’ll see how money does and does not make us happy. How lottery winners aren’t so lucky and how laughter can be the best medicine. We’ll see how happiness helps us get on in work and play, and how creativity is crucial to it.

So what is happiness and where is it found? Let’s find out. Come on in, let’s explore some marvellous things.

Doors open 7pm, talk starts at 7.30pm – Come down early to grab a bite to eat!

Dr Jonathan Iliff is a psychiatrist and medical doctor in the NHS, with a background in neuroscience and psychedelic drug research. Jonathan has been an associate researcher with the psychedelic research group attached to King’s College, was the founder and chair of the UCL Society for the Application of Psychedelics and has worked with prominent figures in the field. His research focused on the use of psychedelic compounds, like LSD and psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms – a promising new treatment for depression. Today his focus is clinical – focusing on helping with people, and their problems in the here and now.