Dr. Lara Aknin
Topic: The Magical Gift of Giving

Dr Lara Aknin is a Canadian professor of social psychology at Simon Fraser University, and editor of the World Happiness Report.
Through her ongoing research, Dr Aknin has gained insights into the motivations and rewards of giving, not only of our “treasure” but also our time. Hear how this is relevant to fulfilling the “magic” we can find in Rotary.
Dr Aknin’s Master’s thesis entitled Spending money on others promotes happiness was published in 2008.
After earning her PhD from the University of British Columbia in 2012, Aknin joined the faculty of psychology at Simon Fraser University. That year, she published "Giving Leads to Happiness in Young Children" with J. Kiley Hamlin and Elizabeth Dunn, which supported the idea that humans may have evolved to find giving rewarding.
In 2015 her contributions to the field of social psychology earned her the President’s New Researcher Award from the Canadian Psychological Association and a fellowship at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. She was also honoured by the university for her research and contributions to social Psychology with the title "Distinguished SFU Professor."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as chair of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Task Force of the Lancet COVID-19 Commission.
Dr Aknin is a native of Vancouver, and currently lives in Vancouver with her husband and two young children. Outside of her busy professional schedule she considers herself a foodie enjoying fine cuisine, and also regularly putting on her running shoes and going for run,