Parker Posey + Emma Seppälä

For actress Parker Posey, empathy comes naturally on screen. But how do those insights transfer to happiness in everyday life? Posey will try to answer this question with neuroscientist Emma Seppälä, whose latest research offers new approaches to achieving a sense of sustainable fulfillment.

A book signing of Seppälä’s The Happiness Track will follow the talk.

Brainwave is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

About the Speakers

Parker Posey‘s first starring role was in Party Girl, and by 1997 she had twenty movies on her resume. One of those films, The House of Yes, garnered the Special Recognition award for her performance. Even though the media dubbed her the “Queen of the Indies,” Parker continued to work on smaller independent films like The Anniversary Party and Best in Show as she appeared in mainstream movies like You’ve Got Mail and Scream 3. Posey has also been in several off-Broadway productions. She was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award for her performance in the Lanford Wilson revival of Fifth of July and won the award for her role in Hurlyburly two years later. Her most recent television appearances have been on Louie, The Big C, Granite Falls, and Portlandia. She will appear in four films due out in 2016: The Architect, The Brits are Coming, Christopher Guest’s Mascots, and a new Woody Allen film.

Emma Seppälä is science director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, author of The Happiness Track, and a leading expert on health psychology, well-being, and resilience. She founded the popular news site Fulfillment Daily and contributes to Psychology Today and Harvard Business Review. A sought-after speaker, Seppälä has addressed academic, corporate, and governmental institutions. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, ABC News, Forbes, the Boston Globe, U.S. News & World Report, the Huffington Post, INC, and Fast Company.