Lara Aknin

Lara Beth Aknin is a Canadian social psychologist. She is an assistant professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University and a distinguished university professor.

Lara Aknin
Lara Aknin in 2014
Academic background
EducationBA., MA., PhD, University of British Columbia
ThesisFrom wealth to well-being: spending money on others promotes happiness. (2008)
Academic work
InstitutionsSimon Fraser University

Career

After earning her PhD from the University of British Columbia, Aknin joined the faculty of psychology at Simon Fraser University in 2012.[1] That year, she published "Giving Leads to Happiness in Young Children" with J. Kiley Hamlin and Elizabeth Dunn, which supported the idea that humans may have evolved to find giving rewarding.[2]

In 2014, Aknin, Michael Norton and Elizabeth Dunn co-published a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and CIHR funded review of whether spending money had a positive effect on people's happiness.[3] The following year, her contributions to the field of social psychology earned her the President’s New Researcher Award from the Canadian Psychological Association[4] and a fellowship at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.[1] By 2019, she received a SSHRC grant for her project, “Can Repeated and Reflective Giving Nurture Canada's Next Generation of Philanthropists?”[5] She was also honoured by the university for her research and contributions to social Psychology with the title "Distinguished SFU Professor."[6]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as chair of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Task Force of the Lancet COVID-19 Commission.[7] She also serves as an associate editor of the World Happiness Report.[8]

Publications

References
  1. "Generous spending leads to increased happiness, concludes SFU psychologist Lara Aknin in World Happiness Report". sfu.ca. March 29, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. Enayati, Amanda (September 17, 2012). "For kids, it's better to give than receive". cnn.ca. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  3. "Looking to increase your sense of abundance? Research by Dr. Lara Aknin has established that giving to others can increase feelings of well-being". sfu.ca. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  4. "2014–2015 Annual Performance Report" (PDF). cifar.ca. p. 72. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  5. "Lara Aknin awarded SSHRC Partnership Engage grant for nurturing the next generation of philanthropists". sfu.ca. October 15, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  6. "Simon Fraser University honours our inaugural Distinguished SFU Professors". sfu.ca. September 19, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  7. "Lancet COVID-19 Commission Statement on the occasion of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly". The Lancet. 396 (10257). September 14, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  8. "Report assesses impact of COVID-19 on global happiness". sfu.ca. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
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