Does social media make us happy?

Halla Tómasdóttir and Cass R. Sunstein in conversation

Thursday 22 October 2026 at 16:00 Reykjavík time (GMT)

Aula, Main Building, University of Iceland, Reykjavík

We give social media our time and attention. What do we get in return, and how can we make technology work better for us?

Join Halla Tómasdóttir, President of Iceland, and Harvard professor Cass R. Sunstein, author of the just-published The Price of Happiness and co-author of the international bestseller Nudge, for a conversation about social media, happiness and the freedom to shape how we spend our time. Why can it be so hard to leave a platform when everyone else is using it? And what could change if we acted together?

They will explore how young people’s own perspectives can help shape the digital world they want to live in, what we would like to make more room for in everyday life, and what social media can teach us as artificial intelligence plays a growing role in our lives.

Join us in the Aula or watch the livestream.

The conversation will be held in English. Everyone is welcome but registration is mandatory due to limited number of seats.

About Cass Sunstein

Cass R. Sunstein is a world-renowned Harvard professor and one of the most influential thinkers in law, behavioural science and public policy. He is the author of the just-published The Price of Happiness and co-author, with Richard H. Thaler, of the international bestseller Nudge. A New York Times bestseller, Nudge has sold more than two million copies and helped bring behavioural insights into policymaking around the world. At Harvard, he is the Robert Walmsley University Professor. He served in the Obama White House from 2009 to 2012 and received the prestigious Holberg Prize in 2018.