This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with “Dr. Happiness.” Ed Diener, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois, has written extensively about what factors influence psychological wealth and well-being. We’ll talk with him about his research, how he got others in the field to take him seriously when he started trying to quantify something so abstract, and what makes life satisfaction so vital to our health.
Next week on Focus, we'll talk with one of the pioneers in the reserach of happiness about how he got the pscyhological science community to take him seriously, how computers could soon change the way we talk about prescription side effects and how environmental groups came together to work with energy companies to write state regualtions for hyrdraulic fracturing.
This hour on Focus Mary Kay Mace, whose only daughter was killed in the shooting on campus at Northern Illinois University five years ago, joins us. She’ll tell us about the tragedy and what she has and hasn’t seen change since it happened. We’ll also talk with Dorothy Espelage, a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who studies adolescent aggressive behavior, about what resources are available to young adults and what protocols are in place in case of an emergency on campus. Thom Pollock, Executive Director of Crosspoint Human Services in Danville will also be here to talk about the unmet need for mental health services in Champaign county and the surrounding area.
WILL also aired this video Tuesday evening during PBS' After Newtown programing. What's your reaction? Have you been personally affected by gun violence? Join our conversation on Facebook and Twitter, email will-talk@illinois.edu or post in the comments section below.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, women are at a much higher risk for heart problems if they smoke than previously thought, and ideas about how often to have a mammogram are changing. What does this mean for you? We’ll find out this hour on Focus. Host Craig Cohen talks with Suzanne Trupin about women’s health. Do you have questions? We welcome your calls! We’ll also take your questions via Facebook and Twitter.
How many vacation days do you have in a year? Do you use them? This hour on Focus, we’ll talk about the idea of time poverty and overwork in America. Jon de Graaf, a documentary filmmaker, activist and the Executive Director of “Take Back Your Time,” an organization that challenges the idea that your job should be at the top of your priority list, joins the program. We’ll talk about something called Gross National Happiness and question why we devalue part-time work in the U.S. Deborah Stone, Director of Academic Human Resources at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will also be here to talk about the unspoken politics of taking time off from work and what to do about it.
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This hour on Focus, host Craig Cohen talks with Nina Totenberg, NPR’s award-winning legal affairs correspondent and this year’s winner of the Illinois Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism about her coverage of the US Supreme Court and some little known facts about her life and career. Then for the second half of the hour, we’ll talk with Nathan Wolfe, a virologist who has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine, about his work in Africa and why globalization is making our society more vulnerable to pandemic diseases.
Both Totenberg and Wolfe are speaking on campus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaing on Monday, February 11. Find more information at the links listed below.
Is the new Illinois cigarette tax really helping to deter people from smoking? Would a ban on sugary drinks and soda really help curb the obesity epidemic? Does offering incentives like money or candy motivate children to perform better in school? This hour on Focus, we’ll talk about what influences our behavior. We'll delve into the idea of a “sin” tax, why we use them and if they have an impact on our decisions with Professor of Economics at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the UIUC Fred Giertz. Edward Deci, a Professor of Psychology and Social Sciences at the University of Rochester, also joins the program to answer questions about peer pressure, money as a motivator, stereotypes and how the world around us affects how we act and the decisions we make.
Should parents offer kids incentives to do well in school? Do you? Does it work? Join our conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Diet, exercise, nutrition and heart disease have all been health buzz words lately. This hour on Focus, we'll talk with Dr. Sumuk Sundaram of Christie Clinic about men's health issues.
Recently the Baseball Hall of Fame announced it will induct no one for the first time in more than a decade, a move many view as a statement against the use of steroids in professional sports. In addition, cyclist Lance Armstrong is now admitting to using performance enhancing drugs.
Describing himself as "more than a filmmaker," Byron Hurt is an anti-sexist activist who provides cutting-edge male leadership, expert analysis, keynote addresses, and workshop facilitation in the field of sexual and gender violence prevention and education. His latest film "Soul food Junkies," looks at the links between African-American identity and "soul food," much of which is high in fat and calories. Hurt's father died of pancreatic cancer, and this type of high-fat diet is a risk factor for the illness.
