Prof. Christopher K. Hsee Was Invited to Give a Lecture at the RBS

On March 26, 2010, Tenured Professor Christopher K. Hsee of Chicago GSB was invited to give a lecture on Eudemonics at the RBS. 

Christopher K. Hsee was born and brought up in Shanghai, China, and studied in America. He got a doctor’s degree at Yale University in 1993 and later taught in the School of Business, University of Chicago. Honored as Tenured Professor there in 2000 and Chair Professor of Theodore O. Yntema in 2004, Prof. Christopher Hsee made studies in the fields of Behavioral Decision Theory, Psychology, Behavioral Economics, Management, Marketing and Eudemonics, etc.   

Prof. Christopher Hsee introduced a present fact in lecture that people’s sense of happiness remains unchanged although economy develops. Thus he proposed “eight principles” of Eudemonics: 1. Gains should be separated. 2. Losses should be combined. 3. Seek variable gains. 4. Avoid variable losses. 5. The rich should care more about poor. 6. The poor should care less about rich. 7. Seek type A rather than type B gains. 8. Avoid type A rather than type B losses. Professor Hsee interpreted vividly the profound philosophy of happiness with simple examples. 

In the interactive section, Professor Hsee answered students’ question about the definition of happiness and introduced his understanding of effectiveness in economics.