Dr. Laurie Santos

Thanks so much for having me on the show.

Yeah, well, I'm glad you started there, actually, because the very definition of happiness, I think, as social scientists tend to think about it, includes both of these parts, right? So I think social scientists tend to think about happiness as being happy in your life, and being happy with your life. So being happy in your life is sort of the emotion side, right?

Yeah, well, I'm glad you started there, actually, because the very definition of happiness, I think, as social scientists tend to think about it, includes both of these parts, right? So I think social scientists tend to think about happiness as being happy in your life, and being happy with your life. So being happy in your life is sort of the emotion side, right?

Yeah, well, I'm glad you started there, actually, because the very definition of happiness, I think, as social scientists tend to think about it, includes both of these parts, right? So I think social scientists tend to think about happiness as being happy in your life, and being happy with your life. So being happy in your life is sort of the emotion side, right?

A decent number of positive emotions, maybe slightly less negative emotions. Like you existing in your life feels good. That's kind of an emotional part, right? But then there's also kind of how you think your life is going. Do you have purpose? Are you kind of happy with how things are going? It's how you think about your life, which is sort of a cognitive thing.

A decent number of positive emotions, maybe slightly less negative emotions. Like you existing in your life feels good. That's kind of an emotional part, right? But then there's also kind of how you think your life is going. Do you have purpose? Are you kind of happy with how things are going? It's how you think about your life, which is sort of a cognitive thing.

A decent number of positive emotions, maybe slightly less negative emotions. Like you existing in your life feels good. That's kind of an emotional part, right? But then there's also kind of how you think your life is going. Do you have purpose? Are you kind of happy with how things are going? It's how you think about your life, which is sort of a cognitive thing.

And so even the earliest social scientists who started thinking about happiness, at the time they call it subjective well-being. So I think psychologists were like, oh, happiness sounds too wooey. Like, we'll call it something else. But it means exactly the same thing. It means subjective well-being, right?

And so even the earliest social scientists who started thinking about happiness, at the time they call it subjective well-being. So I think psychologists were like, oh, happiness sounds too wooey. Like, we'll call it something else. But it means exactly the same thing. It means subjective well-being, right?

And so even the earliest social scientists who started thinking about happiness, at the time they call it subjective well-being. So I think psychologists were like, oh, happiness sounds too wooey. Like, we'll call it something else. But it means exactly the same thing. It means subjective well-being, right?

When they started thinking about subjective well-being, they divided it into this sort of affective emotional part, which is like how you feel in your life, but also this cognitive part, how you think your life is going. So that basic dichotomy has been there since the very beginning of folks studying happiness scientifically. Yeah.

When they started thinking about subjective well-being, they divided it into this sort of affective emotional part, which is like how you feel in your life, but also this cognitive part, how you think your life is going. So that basic dichotomy has been there since the very beginning of folks studying happiness scientifically. Yeah.

When they started thinking about subjective well-being, they divided it into this sort of affective emotional part, which is like how you feel in your life, but also this cognitive part, how you think your life is going. So that basic dichotomy has been there since the very beginning of folks studying happiness scientifically. Yeah.

Yeah. Well, I think ideally it'd be nice to do both, right? And I think there are moments when these things dissociate, right? So, you know, you interact with lots of interesting rich people out here in California. I think a lot of them have, kind of in their life, feels pretty good, right? They have lots of hedonic pleasures, they're drinking nice wine, hanging out at the beach.

Yeah. Well, I think ideally it'd be nice to do both, right? And I think there are moments when these things dissociate, right? So, you know, you interact with lots of interesting rich people out here in California. I think a lot of them have, kind of in their life, feels pretty good, right? They have lots of hedonic pleasures, they're drinking nice wine, hanging out at the beach.

Yeah. Well, I think ideally it'd be nice to do both, right? And I think there are moments when these things dissociate, right? So, you know, you interact with lots of interesting rich people out here in California. I think a lot of them have, kind of in their life, feels pretty good, right? They have lots of hedonic pleasures, they're drinking nice wine, hanging out at the beach.

Oh, that's interesting.

Oh, that's interesting.

Oh, that's interesting.

So this is the question is, is this sort of cognitive part the like third person part or is it the reporting part? And I think when the psychologists are thinking about it, they really think about it as the reporting part, right? And this gets tricky, right? Because, you know, I see folks having their nice glass of wine on the beach and I'm thinking like that's coming with lots of positive emotion.