Dr. Laurie Santos

So you go back when the nuns are in their 20s and you look at their journals and you do like a text analysis, like, you know, you run the text of their journals through something that pulls out all the happy words and pulls out all the kind of negative words or just like any emotion words whatsoever.

And then you use those textual analyses to predict how many of the nuns live into their 80s and 90s. And what you find is that the happier nuns are just living surprisingly longer, you know, in some cases like decades longer than the nuns on average who are just sadder, which is really quite striking. It suggests that happiness might really be affecting like how long we live.

And then you use those textual analyses to predict how many of the nuns live into their 80s and 90s. And what you find is that the happier nuns are just living surprisingly longer, you know, in some cases like decades longer than the nuns on average who are just sadder, which is really quite striking. It suggests that happiness might really be affecting like how long we live.

And then you use those textual analyses to predict how many of the nuns live into their 80s and 90s. And what you find is that the happier nuns are just living surprisingly longer, you know, in some cases like decades longer than the nuns on average who are just sadder, which is really quite striking. It suggests that happiness might really be affecting like how long we live.

So, yeah, important to focus on, not just because happiness feels good, but it might make you live longer, too.

So, yeah, important to focus on, not just because happiness feels good, but it might make you live longer, too.

So, yeah, important to focus on, not just because happiness feels good, but it might make you live longer, too.

Yeah. On average, the data really suggests happier. There's some interesting like lifespan work on happiness. You know, you're kind of happy when you're young. And then as you become like an adult in middle age, especially after you have children, in fact, you know, happiness tends to dip.

Yeah. On average, the data really suggests happier. There's some interesting like lifespan work on happiness. You know, you're kind of happy when you're young. And then as you become like an adult in middle age, especially after you have children, in fact, you know, happiness tends to dip.

Yeah. On average, the data really suggests happier. There's some interesting like lifespan work on happiness. You know, you're kind of happy when you're young. And then as you become like an adult in middle age, especially after you have children, in fact, you know, happiness tends to dip.

But then as soon as you kind of go back to empty nesting, you know, when the kids go off to college, then the slope of happiness kind of goes back up. And so it's something to look forward to as you age. On average, older people tend to be happier.

But then as soon as you kind of go back to empty nesting, you know, when the kids go off to college, then the slope of happiness kind of goes back up. And so it's something to look forward to as you age. On average, older people tend to be happier.

But then as soon as you kind of go back to empty nesting, you know, when the kids go off to college, then the slope of happiness kind of goes back up. And so it's something to look forward to as you age. On average, older people tend to be happier.

Yeah, I think this is one of the spots where those two constructs of happiness can be so powerful, the sort of happiness in your life and happiness with your life. Lots of evidence that kids kind of boost the happiness with your life. You know, you get the sense of meaning and so on. But if you look at people's time budgets in terms of what they spend their time on, you

Yeah, I think this is one of the spots where those two constructs of happiness can be so powerful, the sort of happiness in your life and happiness with your life. Lots of evidence that kids kind of boost the happiness with your life. You know, you get the sense of meaning and so on. But if you look at people's time budgets in terms of what they spend their time on, you

Yeah, I think this is one of the spots where those two constructs of happiness can be so powerful, the sort of happiness in your life and happiness with your life. Lots of evidence that kids kind of boost the happiness with your life. You know, you get the sense of meaning and so on. But if you look at people's time budgets in terms of what they spend their time on, you

The thing that often feels the most miserable is spending time with your kids, like in your life, you know, when you're picking up, you know, the toys and dealing with the dirty diapers and things. That is the thing that people seem to, on average, enjoy kind of the least.

The thing that often feels the most miserable is spending time with your kids, like in your life, you know, when you're picking up, you know, the toys and dealing with the dirty diapers and things. That is the thing that people seem to, on average, enjoy kind of the least.

The thing that often feels the most miserable is spending time with your kids, like in your life, you know, when you're picking up, you know, the toys and dealing with the dirty diapers and things. That is the thing that people seem to, on average, enjoy kind of the least.

It ranks up there with like commuting and like shopping for groceries, you know, not like a heavy endorsement. But that's kind of complicated. I think that's one of these reasons that, you know, these constructs are kind of helpful. There are certain things that you do for meaning that in the moment don't feel great, but they wind up giving you meaning.