In this section
Several of our current PhD candidates and fellow researchers at the Data Science Institute have published, or in the proccess of publishing, papers to present their research.
@article{Taquet:2016:10.1073/pnas.1519998113,
author = {Taquet, M and Quoidbach, J and de, Montjoye Y-A and Desseilles, M and Gross, JJ},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1519998113},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},
pages = {9769--9773},
title = {Hedonism and the choice of everyday activities},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1519998113},
volume = {113},
year = {2016}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Most theories of motivation have highlighted that human behavior is guided by the hedonic principle, according to which our choices of daily activities aim to minimize negative affect and maximize positive affect. However, it is not clear how to reconcile this idea with the fact that people routinely engage in unpleasant yet necessary activities. To address this issue, we monitored in real time the activities and moods of over 28,000 people across an average of 27 d using a multiplatform smartphone application. We found that people’s choices of activities followed a hedonic flexibility principle. Specifically, people were more likely to engage in mood-increasing activities (e.g., play sports) when they felt bad, and to engage in useful but mood-decreasing activities (e.g., housework) when they felt good. These findings clarify how hedonic considerations shape human behavior. They may explain how humans overcome the allure of short-term gains in happiness to maximize long-term welfare.
AU - Taquet,M
AU - Quoidbach,J
AU - de,Montjoye Y-A
AU - Desseilles,M
AU - Gross,JJ
DO - 10.1073/pnas.1519998113
EP - 9773
PY - 2016///
SN - 0027-8424
SP - 9769
TI - Hedonism and the choice of everyday activities
T2 - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1519998113
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/63172
VL - 113
ER -
Data Science Institute
William Penney Laboratory
Imperial College London
South Kensington Campus
London SW7 2AZ
United Kingdom
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