Dr Marc Schulz, Academic Visitor to the Wellbeing Research Centre, presented findings from the Harvard Study of Adult Development at Harris Manchester College’s 2026 Upton Lecture.
Using life stories and research findings, Dr Schulz shared how the Harvard Study (and other studies) point to relationships as a key foundation of the “good life”.
The event will be an Early Career Researcher (ECR) paper development workshop on the theme: ‘The Sociology of Work and Wellbeing’. Hosted at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, home of the Wellbeing Research Centre, this workshop will host up to 25 ECRs for an opportunity to present and develop their research papers on the theme and network with other ECRs in the South of England.
The workshop will explore how to revitalise sociological perspectives on work and wellbeing. The sociology of work has long been uniquely concerned with the question of wellbeing, more so than other fields of sociology. Yet in academic and policy debates on wellbeing, psychology, economics, and mainstream management studies dominate. Recent contributions (e.g. Tausig, 2013; Chamberlain et al., 2025) have gone some way to summarising the field as it stands now. However, several avenues remain either underexplored or disconnected from one another. This workshop will strive to enhance and strengthen the sociological voice on the topic by supporting empirical research and expanded theorisation.
The workshop will emphasise career development, including: a meet-the-editors session with the editors of leading British journals that publish the sociology of work; opportunities to network with other ECRs; and a panel or keynote with senior scholars to construct a longer-term view on the sociology of work and wellbeing.
For more details, visit the British Sociological Association’s website.
Join Editors, contributing authors and other wellbeing experts at the European launch of the World Happiness Report, hosted at the World Happiness Summit 2024 in London.
The World Happiness Report is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR’s Editorial Board. The report is produced under the editorial control of the WHR Editorial Board.
Find out more and purchase tickets here.
Join Editors, contributing authors and other wellbeing experts at the global launch of the World Happiness Report, hosted at Gallup Headquarters in Washington DC.
The World Happiness Report is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR’s Editorial Board. The report is produced under the editorial control of the WHR Editorial Board.
Find out more and register here.
Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, will deliver the Edward F. Diener Lecture at the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies’ (ISQOLS) 21st Annual Conference in 2023.
Hosted in the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the ISQOLS 2023 Conference will offer a forum for discussion of the research findings concerning quality of life, well-being, and happiness.
The theme of ISQOLS 2023 is Towards a People-First Economy and Society: A World to Win. When we would like to truly improve quality-of-life, we need an economy and society that does not put shareholders above all stakeholders. Instead we need an economy and society in which economic growth is not seen as the ultimate goals but as a means to achieve a greater happiness for a greater number of people and in which the purpose of a company shifts from profit maximization to benefit of all stakeholders, also including employees, customers and communities. However, what will it take? Will governments lead us into the next era or will business do so? And finally, can capitalism work for the greater good, transforming the economy into a good and equitable economy, in which everyone can enjoy a good quality of life and feel the benefits of economic growth?
For more information, visit isqols.org/2023.
