The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
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About This Podcast
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.
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Recent Episodes
S11E23 The Surprising Case for Oversharing
We’re kicking off a new season of The Happiness Lab with some happiness hot takes — bold claims that challenge conventional wisdom about what it really takes to feel happier. Today's hot take is all…
S11E22 How to Feel Happier in Your Body with Jessamyn Stanley
As summer begins, many of us are bombarded with messages about how our bodies aren't good enough. But what if we embraced movement not out of self-criticism or shame, but self-compassion? To close…
S11E21 What Your Negative Emotions Are Trying to Tell You
Negative emotions like sadness, anger, guilt, and anxiety can feel overwhelming. But what if those uncomfortable feelings aren’t problems to fix, but signals worth listening to? As part of our series…
S11E20 The Hidden Beliefs That Shape Your Happiness with Shawn Achor
Our beliefs shape more than we realize. They influence what we notice, how we respond to setbacks, how connected we feel to others, and whether we take action to improve our lives. As part of our…
S11E19 The Art of Doing Nothing
Struggling to find free time? Feeling constantly busy or burned out? This episode is for you. Dr. Laurie explores the science behind “time famine,” the nagging sense that there’s never enough time in…
S11E18 What Screen Time Is Really Doing to Your Body with Manoush Zomorodi
We hear a lot about how screens affect our mental health, but time spent on computers and smartphones is having just as much of an impact on our physical health — from brain fog and weakened core…
S11E17 Why More Stuff Doesn’t Make You Happier
Buying something new can trigger a rush of dopamine, leading to a momentary boost in happiness. But the rush is fleeting, and over time, our possessions can end up weighing us down more than they…
S11E16 Your Environment Affects Your Happiness More Than You Think with Dr. Leidy Klotz
Our surroundings affect our happiness in ways we often don’t notice. The layout of a room, the amount of clutter in our home, and even small changes to lighting can shape our mood, focus, and…
S11E15 How to Break Up with Your Bad Habits
Breaking bad habits often feels like a test of willpower. We tell ourselves we’ll stop scrolling, eat better, or exercise more — and then fall right back into the same routines. So why is lasting…
S11E14 Why It Hurts to Hold a Grudge — and How to Let Go with Dr. Fred Luskin
Forgiveness might sound simple, but it's hard to let go of the anger that comes with being deeply hurt. Grudges, bitterness, and frustration with life’s unfairness can quietly build up over time and…
S11E13 Why You're Still Using Social Media (Even If You Want to Stop) with Dr. Cass Sunstein
Why is social media so hard to quit? We waste hours scrolling, feel worse when we log off, and still find ourselves going back for more. Dr. Laurie sits down with Dr. Cass Sunstein, co-author of…
S11E12 What is Social Media Doing to Kids? with Dr. Jean Twenge
Over the past decade, rates of depression and loneliness have surged among young people. Many researchers point to one major change: the rise of smartphones and social media. But what does the data…
S11E11 How to Stop Work From Taking Over Your Life
Work doesn’t end when the workday does. Even after we close our laptops, our minds keep replaying awkward meetings, looming deadlines, and unfinished to-do lists. Over time, that “always on”…
S11E10 Inside the Love Lab with Drs. John & Julie Gottman (Part 2)
In Part 2 of Dr. Laurie’s conversation with researchers Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, we learn how couples can raise complaints without damaging their relationship — and how to…
S11E9 Inside the Love Lab with Drs. John & Julie Gottman (Part 1)
In this classic episode, Dr. Laurie speaks with two of the world’s most influential relationship scientists, Drs. John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman. In their renowned “Love Lab,” the married…
S11E8 Why Algorithms Can’t Predict Your Love Life with Dr. Paul Eastwick
Modern dating can feel like a marketplace. We’re told we all have a “mate value,” that some people are 9s and 10s, and that the laws of evolution determine who gets chosen — and who gets rejected.…
S11E7 How to Find "The One": The Science of Dating with Tim Molnar
Modern dating can feel exhausting. On one hand, there’s the seemingly endless swiping that leads to dating app burnout; on the other, there’s what can feel like the insurmountable challenge of…
S11E6 How to Feel Truly Loved (with Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky and Dr. Harry Reis)
Most of us have people in our lives who love us — partners, friends, family — yet many of us still don’t feel as loved as we want to. Why is there such a gap between being loved and feeling loved?…
S11E5 How to Design a More Meaningful Life (with Dave Evans and Bill Burnett)
What does it mean to live a meaningful life? How do you find direction when you feel stuck or you’re unsure about your purpose? Dave Evans and Bill Burnett, co-founders of the Stanford Life Design…
S11E4 The Surprising Science of Creativity (with Dr. George Newman)
We often think creativity comes from sudden flashes of genius within us. But what if ideas actually exist in the world around us — waiting to be discovered and shaped by anyone paying attention? …
Frequently Asked Questions
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos has published 262 episodes since July 2019, covering topics in Health & Fitness, Society & Culture.
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 36m.
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