Louis Tay presents on assessing the happiness of societies at Westwood Lecture Series

Louis Tay, the William C. Byham Chair in Industrial-Organizational Psychology in the College of Health and Human Sciences, presented “Assessing Societal Well-Being: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges” at the Westwood Lecture Series on Nov. 7.

Abstract. As global interest grows beyond solely economic indicators, nations and intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development are increasingly focusing on measuring societal well-being. This presentation explores advancements, challenges and key considerations in assessing societal well-being, with a particular emphasis on psychometric and methodological perspectives. While survey data remains foundational, recent innovations in data science — such as analyzing social media, Google search trends and video data — offer new possibilities for real-time well-being assessments. However, these approaches also present significant methodological challenges. The talk will conclude with a critical reflection on the limitations of happiness as a sole indicator of well-being, suggesting future research directions and potential collaborations to enrich the assessment of societal well-being.

Bio. Louis Tay is the William C. Byham Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology in the College of Health and Human Sciences. Tay’s research focuses on assessing and enhancing human well-being using innovative methodological and technological approaches. He has co-edited several books, including “Big Data in Psychological Research” (American Psychological Association), “Handbook of Well-Being” (DEF Publishers), “Handbook of Positive Psychology Assessment” (Hogrefe), “The Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities (Oxford University Press), “Technology and Measurement around the Globe” (Cambridge University Press), and “Handbook of Well-Being in Higher Education” (Oxford; forthcoming). His research has appeared in various media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American Mind, Psychology Today and MSNBC. He has contributed to the United Nations’ research reports on well-being and is the tech founder of the Purdue-based startup ExpiWell.