The Happiness Lab is serving up scientifically-backed takes this summer that are so hot, even your SPF 50 won’t protect you. With the help of behavioral scientists, historians, and cultural critics, Yale psychologist Dr. Laurie Santos challenges some of our biggest assumptions about what it takes to live a good life. Dr. Laurie explores topics like why we should forget about TMI and lean into oversharing, how dumping small talk makes for better conversations, why the kids these days are actually doing just fine, and how men can establish strong bromances. Each episode unpacks a bold, counterintuitive claim — using research, data, and expert insight to question the conventional wisdom around happiness and wellbeing.
In this episode of The Happiness Lab, host Laurie Santos and guest Rainn Wilson address listeners' holiday-related challenges, offering advice on managing expectations, fighting perfectionism, navigating family dynamics, and coping with grief, loneliness, and political divides. They emphasize the importance of open com...
In this special Giving Tuesday episode of The Happiness Lab, host Laurie Santos explores the psychological power of giving and receiving through personal stories shared by fellow podcasters. The episode highlights how acts of kindness, whether giving cash, offering support, or simply expressing gratitude, can create si...
In this episode of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos interviews Professor David DeSteno about the power of gratitude. DeSteno explains that willpower alone is often insufficient for achieving long-term goals and can even lead to stress and premature aging. He argues that cultivating moral emotions like gratitude can...
In this episode of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos interviews clinical psychologist Dr. Jenny Taitz about stress and how to manage it. Dr. Taitz defines stress as a mismatch between resources and demands, and they discuss how humans often exacerbate stress through overthinking. Dr. Taitz shares practical tips from...
In this episode of Decoding Women's Health, Dr. Elizabeth Poynor interviews Dr. Caroline Gurvich, a neuropsychologist, about the impact of fluctuating hormones on women's brains during midlife. They discuss cognitive changes during perimenopause, including memory glitches and brain fog, and address concerns about demen...
In this episode of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos interviews psychologist Coltan Scrivner about the psychology of morbid curiosity and why humans are drawn to things that scare or disgust them. Scrivner defines morbid curiosity as an interest in threatening or potentially dangerous things, both real and fictional...
In this episode of "The Happiness Lab," Dr. Laurie Santos interviews NBA All-Star Kevin Love about his journey with mental health, from a childhood marked by pressure and anxiety to becoming a public advocate for mental wellness. Love discusses how his identity was initially tied to basketball success, the generational...
In this episode of Heavyweight, Jonathan Goldstein assists his friend Gregor with a family issue: Gregor's elderly parents, Etta and Milt, refuse to leave their cluttered three-story Victorian home. Etta, an artist, has filled the house with her numerous collections, posing a safety hazard. Gregor initially proposes co...
In this episode of "The Happiness Lab," Dr. Laurie Santos interviews psychologist Barry Schwartz about his new book, "Choose Wisely," which he co-authored with philosopher Richard Schuldenfrei. They discuss decision-making, contrasting the economic concept of maximizing utility with Schwartz's idea of "good enough." Sc...
In this episode of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos interviews Juliet Schor, an economist and sociologist, about her book "Four Days a Week." Schor discusses the history of work hours in America, the rise of overwork, and the cultural norms that perpetuate it. She presents the radical solution of a four-day workwee...
This episode of Heavyweight, titled "Etta," revolves around Gregor's attempt to help his parents, Milton and Etta, move out of their large, cluttered Victorian home as they approach 90. Etta, an artist and collector, is particularly attached to her belongings, especially her bottles inscribed with Zen-like riddles abou...
In this episode of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos interviews Richard Thaler, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, and Alex Imas, a professor of behavioral economics, about the updated version of Thaler's book, "The Winner's Curse." They discuss anomalies in human behavior that deviate from the standard economic model...
In this episode of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos interviews Dan Buettner, a National Geographic explorer and author known for his Blue Zones research, which identifies regions around the world where people live longer and happier lives. They discuss the concept of "healthspan" versus lifespan, emphasizing the im...
In this episode of "The Happiness Lab," Dr. Laurie Santos interviews Dr. Sunita Sah, an organizational psychologist and author of "Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes," about the psychology of defiance and compliance. They discuss the personal and societal costs of excessive compliance, the concept of "in...
In this episode of the 10% Happier podcast, Dan Harris interviews Professor Bruce Hood about his book, "The Science of Happiness: Seven Lessons for Living Well." Hood discusses his shift from neuroscience to happiness studies, prompted by a decline in student mental health. They explore the definition of happiness as "...
This podcast episode of "The Happiness Lab" features a live webinar with Dr. Laurie Santos and Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, focusing on whether one can train their brain to be happier. They discuss the science behind happiness, including the roles of genetics and circumstances, and emphasize that happiness is more about mindset...
In this episode of the Rich Roll Podcast, Dr. Laurie Santos, a psychology professor at Yale, discusses the science of happiness and why people often misunderstand what truly makes them happy. She shares insights from her course, "Psychology and the Good Life," and her podcast, "The Happiness Lab," emphasizing actionabl...
In this episode of The Daily Stoic podcast, Ryan Holiday interviews Dr. Laurie Santos, a happiness expert, about the concept of Memento Mori and its connection to Stoic philosophy. They discuss how contemplating mortality can lead to a more fulfilling life by encouraging presence and appreciation. They explore the bala...
In this episode of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos interviews Michelle Hastie Thompson (Cornhole Miche), a psychology PhD student, about the surprising benefits of cornhole. Michelle shares her personal story of how cornhole helped her rebuild community after losing her home in the devastating Camp Fire. The discu...
In this episode of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos interviews cellist Joshua Roman about how music has been a coping strategy throughout his life, especially during times of adversity. Joshua shares his early connection with the cello, the role of music in his childhood, and how it helped him connect with others d...
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