Night School Lecture + Social - The Science of a Good Life

Night School Lecture + Social: Where Scholarship Meets Cultural Life

Canada ranks among the best places to live in the world—
so why are people feeling worse?

For the next Night School, we’re joined by Dr. Felix Cheung, Canada Research Chair in Population Well-being at the University of Toronto and contributor to the World Happiness Report.

This isn’t a wellness talk.
It’s a data-driven look at what actually makes a life feel satisfying—and why that’s changing.

What you’ll experience:

Part lecture, part conversation.

You’ll hear how life satisfaction is measured across countries, what the latest data says about Canada, and why younger generations are seeing the sharpest declines.

Then we open it up.

Through guided prompts, you’ll reflect on questions researchers actually use to measure a “good life”—and hear how others in the room are thinking about theirs.

What we’ll get into:

• Why happiness and life satisfaction aren’t the same thing
• What the World Happiness Report reveals about Canada
• The surprising decline in youth well-being
• How we should measure progress as a society
• What actually moves the needle—at both a policy and personal level

Who this is for:

People who like big ideas, real conversations, and leaving a night out thinking differently than when they arrived.

No background needed—just curiosity.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Felix Cheung is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Population Well-being.

He founded the Canadian Happiness Report and co-authored the 2025 World Happiness Report. His work focuses on how we measure and improve quality of life at both individual and societal levels.

About Night School:

Night School is a live lecture series designed to feel more like a great night out than a classroom.

We bring experts, academics, and storytellers into intimate venues for talks that are thoughtful, social, and actually engaging.

Think: ideas worth your time—with a drink in hand.