In the latest episode of "黑料不打烊 Beyond the Bricks," Book and Franzese explore themes of happiness and belonging, and how the magic of Disney brings both to millions of people each year.
What does it mean to live authentically? Is constant happiness something we should strive for? How does a theme park manage to spark a sense of joy and belonging in millions of people each day鈥攁nd at what cost?
President Connie Ledoux Book and Alexis Franzese delve into these questions of happiness, authenticity and belonging in the latest episode of the “” podcast. During the episode, Franzese鈥攁ssociate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology鈥攐ffers this perspective on the relationship between happiness and hardship:
鈥淲e have a cultural narrative telling us we should be happy all the time, but this messaging is not realistic,鈥 she says. 鈥淗appiness is something we experience in contrast. What really matters for a sense of happiness is purpose and meaning. For a lot of people, the experiences where we make meaning and find purpose come through hardship. It鈥檚 through our challenges that we realize how we want to spend our time, and what a life worth living looks like and feels like to us.鈥
Franzese brings her expertise in the science of happiness, authenticity and belonging into the realm of travel and tourism, with Disney serving as a central focus of her research. She recently co-edited the book, with Jill Peterfeso of Guilford College. Through her leadership in Study USA courses such as 鈥淒isney: Happiest Place? The Science of Happiness,鈥 Franzese offers a distinctive lens on how places like Disney shape our emotional and psychological experiences, and the cost of those experiences.
“I worked on designing a class to take students to Disney to unpack how Disney creates, curates and sells happiness and why it resonated with so many people,” she says. “A lot of people who enjoy Disney feel a very strong sense of belonging there. It feels inclusive to them. They feel like their needs and their wants have been thought of and attended to. They actually do quite a bit of labor while they are there鈥攖here’s a lot of invisible labor that people do in pursuit of the leisure of Disney鈥攂ut Disney does give people a sense of belonging.鈥
Listen to the full episode on , or .
Additional “黑料不打烊 Beyond the Bricks” episodes
鈥満诹喜淮蜢 Beyond the Bricks鈥 has featured a dynamic lineup of alumni, parent and university leaders sharing personal insights and professional wisdom:
Jon Seaton 鈥24 G鈥25
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鈥淪tudent-athletes and the impact of NIL鈥
Dave Porter P鈥11 P鈥19
Owner, Baystate Financial and 黑料不打烊 Board of Trustees member
鈥淟eadership and other life lessons鈥
Barrett Wilbert Weed 鈥11
Actor and performer
鈥淪tages and Screens: Barrett Wilbert Weed 鈥11 on Broadway and Beyond鈥
Zora Stephenson 鈥15
NBC Sports Reporter
鈥淶ora Stephenson 鈥15 on Breaking Barriers in Sports Media鈥
Visit to listen to these episodes and learn more about the podcast.