Data and happiness [OPEN]
About me: My name is Alex, a graduate student who would like to be happy :))
Problem Definition - can the act of "measuring" and observing data about our mental state affect our perceptions and help us be "happier"? (this is very exploratory)
There's this saying that "you can't manage what you can't measure." Most people don't actively manage or measure their mental/emotional states because, how would you even do something like that? Our inner lives are incredibly fluid and subject to so many external factors, and for extreme cases, is subject to biological factors that we cannot control of in the first place.
However, there may be some things that we can manage. Cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness practice, religious practice, etc. can be applied during mild fluctuations of mood and emotion to help us get through rocky times. Even something as simple as scrolling through my camera roll and remembering good times can pull me out of a funk and prevent ruminating too long on the negatives. Is there a data-driven way we can measure and reflect on our mental states?
Data - We'll be collecting data ourselves with a very simple mechanical counter. Click it when you feel a moment of happiness, and record the total number of clicks each day together with a (very) short journal entry (we'll be doing some NLP on the written portions and pair it with the self-reported "happiness" clicks).
Deliverable - Not sure yet! I'm thinking some use cases could be checking our happiness graph to reflect on moments of high happiness or particular struggles, comparing a machine-reported assessment of our mood (sentiment analysis) with our self reported mood, etc.
Timeline - Not sure yet! Could easily be a very long term project.
Team - Anyone who's interested in mindfulness, mental health, psychology, being happy, or the way data affects the way we perceive the world and ourselves.
6 Comments
Hey there, I'd be interested in learning more. Behavioral economics actually triggered my interest in analytics years ago and it's always been an area of interest for me.
Hello! My name is Paul and I'm very interested in this project. I actually wrote in my application for UC Berkeley that my goal was to use data science and computing to predict compassionate behavior. Recently I have been really fascinated by sentiment analysis and the possibility of predicting the mental health states and emotion. This project sounds very exciting. I have been meditating for 4 years, and I spend a lot of my free time listening to books about happiness and ways to improve it. Currently, I am a data science student with a domain emphasis in psychology, so I can combine the use of data and psychology to predict happiness, sadness, etc. my email is fentresspaul@berkeley.edu look forward to talking with you hopefully!
Hi, I am also very interested in this project. I am currently doing a research project in CogSci measuring the effect of meditation on self-compassion levels. And the short-term/long-term effects. Please email me at: malloryrhill@berkeley.edu if you are open to other collaborators. Thanks!
Hello Alex! My name is Aly and I’m also very interested in working on this project with you. I am an undergrad student studying cognitive science and currently doing a research project for my cogsci class on the relationship between mindfulness meditation and sleep-onset latency. I’ve always been interested in mental illness because it is serious problem that can affect anyone. I hope this research study could potentially bring some positivity into people’s life.
My email is alessandratsai@berkeley.edu. I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks!
HI Alex, My name is Pavan, and I am a current data science major. This project seems very cool, and I would like to join. My email is pgowda2022@berkeley.edu.
Hello! My name is Melissa and I am a Thai-American studying economics (with either East Asian Studies or Computer Science). I've taken statistics and coding classes at UC Berkeley and find psychology absolutely fascinating. As a practicing Buddhist I have firsthand experience with the importance of mindfulness and potential benefits of religious practice, and I would love to apply my knowledge for this and enthusiasm for data science to your project. I can be reached at mbunna@berkeley.edu. Thank you!