University of Westminster holds a talk on happiness at the Difference Festival 2020

The talk will be delivered jointly on Wednesday with students on Professor Wielander’s module “Concepts of Happiness Across Cultures”.

Students from the University of Westminster are hosting a talk exploring the truth about happiness at the university's annual Difference Festival.

This year's theme for the festival centres around the idea of truth and how the concept fits with different aspects of life.

The talk will question the universally accepted notion that people should strive to be as happy as possible.

Students will assess the reliability of statistics show in happiness studies and world happiness reports.

They will also look at why there has been an increase in these studies and why they have become so popular.

The aim is to encourage the audience to think critically about the “happiness imperative”, and to explore happiness across cultures.

The festival aims to bring awareness on thinking more carefully about the information people receive. Credit: The University of Westminster.

The theme is inspired by the increase in 'fake news, orchestrated social media presence, individual-specific advertising and advanced editing software'.

The Difference Festival is held each year to honour the history and roots of the University of Westminster and showcase the work of staff, students, alumni and friends of the institution.

There will be various other events curated by academic staff from the university's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The Difference Festival is a week-long celebration from 24 to 28 February.

Originally on CityNews (City University of London).