Tiffany's Midterm Proposal

IML 346 Midterm

a) TITLE: HAPPINE$$: Flawed Perceptions of Reality

b) ABSTRACT:
I am studying how everyday personal and social decisions affect one's happiness because I want to find out how economic principles can explain differences in people's self-reported levels of happiness. By doing so, I am trying to help the average person gain a better understanding of the discrepancies between how he perceives a decision and the actual reality of the outcome. In turn, the user may learn simple concepts in economic theory so that he is better equipped to make more informed decisions that will have a positive effect on his happiness. Hence, my goal is to help the average layman learn about how to use economic analyses to make better decisions, because people do not always make decisions that will maximize their happiness. I want my project to be both interactive and informative, and since I want this tool to be accessible to everyone, I may design my project as an online website.

c) METHODOLOGY:
I am going about making the argument that the average person does not correctly forecast or backcast his experienced happiness by developing a tool or simulation that mimics the process of making a decision. This may be accomplished by a four-fold method: 1. Have the user complete a questionnaire relating to what is to be learned or decided upon. 2. The user will make an actual decision or complete a simple task similar to those summarized in textbooks. 3. The user will complete a post-task survey. 4. A results section will use economic analysis to explain their decision. The goal is to have the user come to the realization that their perception of a decision may be different from the actual outcome because the average person fails to take into consideration changes in aspirations and adaptation, as well as other social and economic forces that play a role in determining one’s happiness.

d) MEDIA PRESENTATION & JUSTIFICATION:
This thesis will include an interactive media simulation of classic experiments from the field of economics and social psychology in order to show the user how the principles of economic theory relate to happiness. This may include the use of music or unfavorable sounds to mimic an unpleasant situation, or the use of a classical symphony or work of art to induce feelings of pleasure or satisfaction. Rather than simply telling the user about happiness and economics, this thesis will allow the reader to gain first-hand experience with the topic. Such experiences cannot be attained through traditional textbook learning and hence require multimedia.