From June 4 to June 14, a seminar «Quality of life in conditions of global transformation of mankind» was held at the high-altitude International Research Station ‘Aktru’. It was organized by the Laboratory for Comparative Research in Quality of Life of National Research Tomsk State University and the International Laboratory of Positive Psychology of Personality and Motivation of the Higher School of Economics.
The goal of this event was to discuss the phenomenon of Quality of Life and a person’s subjective well-being.
The research part of the seminar program included several reports of leading scientists and project sessions. A series of plenary reports was opened by one of the most cited psychologists, Kennon Sheldon, professor of the University of Missouri and the academic supervisor of the Laboratory of Positive Psychology of Personality and Motivation of the Higher School of Economics. His colleagues from the Higher School of Economics: professor Dmitry Leontiev and doctor of psychology Tamara Gordeeva continued the series. Professor Melanie Sheldon completed the plenary part of the program.
The format of the project sessions allowed interdisciplinary teams to develop systemic solutions within the topic of Quality of Life.
During the seminar at the ‘Aktru’ station a number of events were held for sportsmen of mountain sports. That allowed the researchers to conduct a survey to determine the influence of cultural, environmental and natural factors on the person’s subjective well-being, as well as the connection of ways and styles of self-determination and satisfaction with life of these respondents.
The other part of the seminar was informal and allowed to enjoy the unique nature of the Aktru valley. The members of the seminar visited the Blue Lake, trekked over the “Uchitel” pass. These trips were long and difficult. They gave opportunity to know each other better.
According to counselor psychologist, member of the seminar Elena Baronskaya, the two-part organization of event was ideal for successful work, because it dosed the practical «experience» of aspects of Quality of Life with ways of its study.
As a result of the seminar, an interdisciplinary research team was formed from psychologists, sociologists, philosophers, economists, and four interrelated lines of research were built for the following activities:
• Conducting fundamental Quality of Life research
• Solving the problem of measuring Quality of Life and its indicators and indices
• Developing educational strategies and elements to improve Quality of Life
• Designing the urban environment as a factor of Quality of Life and the driver of the innovative ecosystem