The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Episodes
The Happiness Lab Meets No Stupid Questions
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are no stupid questions when it comes to discussing happiness - so Dr Laurie Santos has joined forces with fellow psychologist Angela Duckworth ...
Hidden Brain: Laurie Talks Monkeys and Bad Money Decisions.
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hidden Brain is a weekly podcast hosted by Shankar Vedantam. It's a show about science and human behaviour we think you'll enjoy. Dr Laurie Santos was...
Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: Lao Tzu
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The challenges of life often cause us to work frantically to overcome our difficulties - but the Chinese thinker Lao Tzu recommended that instead we s...
Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: Confucius
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Covid pandemic has robbed us of many rituals and ceremonies we took for granted - from simple handshakes to elaborate graduation ceremonies. Their...
Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: Forgiveness
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Miroslav Volf teaches at Yale Divinity School - and is celebrated for his work on reconciliation and forgiveness. But book learning alone does not exp...
Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: The Day of Rest
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Hurwitz worked 24/7 at Harvard, and barely took time off as she built a career in DC writing speeches for first Hillary Clinton and then Miche...
Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: The Torah
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Hurwitz grew up thinking there was little the great texts of Judaism could teach her - she even hatched a plot to get out of Hebrew school. But ...
Move More... But for the Right Reasons
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Moving more is great for your happiness - but many of us decide to exercise because we're unhappy with our bodies and long to change them. What should...
Feed Yourself Like You'd Feed a Loved One
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Diets and "healthy" eating fads are a January fixture - but few of us stick to these harsh regimes. And when the dieting ends, we often go back to the...
Reconnect With The Moment
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach felt too stressed and busy to spend time with her elderly mother - until she had a lightning moment of ...
Dump Your Inner Drill Sergeant
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We often start a new year hoping to make big changes in how we look, feel or act. This can involve a lot of self-criticism and adopting things like to...
Happier Holidays: How to Celebrate No Matter What
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of the festive events and traditions we look forward to each year will be very different in 2020. Gatherings might be smaller than we'd like... ...
Happier Holidays: How to Give and Receive the Perfect Gift
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Exchanging holiday gifts is supposed to be joyful... but for many of us it is a source of stress, anxiety and hurt feelings. To transform the way you ...
Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: The Buddha
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Buddha was born to a royal family... and it shocked him when he found out that no amount of money or power could keep suffering and loss at bay fo...
Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: Epictetus
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Epictetus was born into slavery and beaten until he was lame... but he became one of Ancient Rome's greatest thinkers by accepting every setback as an...
Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: Plato
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Plato likened us all to charioteers trying to control two wayward horses. The steeds represent the competing wants and desires that constantly pull us...
Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: Aristotle
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
He gave us biology, physics and drama... but Greek philosopher Aristotle also thought deeply about how humans can flourish and live happy lives of vir...
How to Be a Better Ally
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You might detest bigotry and injustice, but have you done anything to address these problems? There are many reasons we stay silent and inactive when ...
The War For Kindness
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling you belong to a group can be great - but it also has a darker side, leading us down an unhappy path of hatred and violence towards people with...
Demonic Possessions
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Cait Flanders went deep into debt so she could buy all the clothes, books and gadgets she thought would make her happier. It was only when she junked ...
How to Kick Bad Habits (and Start Good Ones)
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We all have bad habits - things we eat, drink, do or say that cause us unhappiness. We repeat these behaviours over and over again - almost as if we a...
Dial D for Distracted
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The world is full of people and things that can make you happy, but you have to notice them to get the full effect. Smartphones are technological marv...
For Whom the Alarm Clock Tolls
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
'Time famine' is when you just don't feel you have a spare moment... and it can make you miserable. It's a feeling Dr Laurie Santos knows only too wel...
Working Your Way to Happiness
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Marty kills rats... but if you asked him what his job is he'd say it was "solving problems" and "helping people". How we view our work can contribute ...
PJ and Alex Love to Gripe
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Reply All hosts PJ and Alex love to trade gripes. Their complaints about the minor annoyances of modern life make for great audio, but are the podcast...
Psychopaths and Superheroes
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We talk a lot about psychopaths - but rarely discuss their polar opposites, super altruists. These are people who go to extreme lengths to help others...
New Season: The Happiness Lab Returns April 27
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you want to be happier? Complain less? Enjoy your work more? Find time for the things that matter to you?Yale's Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the s...
Good Screens and Bad Screens
20 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic has us all glued to our smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs - they give us important information, vital social contact and much needed ...
Helping the Helpers
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The heaviest burden of Covid-19 has fallen on the shoulders of medical staff, first responders and others who care for the sick and vulnerable. These ...
Laurie's Personal Tips
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many people seek Laurie's advice on how to be happier despite this awful pandemic. Prof Katy Milkman invited Laurie to appear on the Choiceology podca...
Keep Your Relationship Healthy
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The health of our romantic relationships is in peril thanks to the many stresses and strains of the pandemic lockdown. Couples might be facing huge em...
Help Others to Help Yourself
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
College student Liam Elkind studied happiness in the class taught by Dr Laurie Santos. When the Covid 19 crisis hit, he knew exactly what to do to fi...
Calm Can Be Contagious
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In normal times our minds can be filled with unhelpful thoughts, but during this crisis you might be finding it even harder to calm your anxious inter...
Rising to a Challenge
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We always face problems and setbacks - but the coronavirus has dramatically upended many of our lives in a few short weeks. Allowing sadness, anger or...
Coach Yourself Through a Crisis
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We all need to keep a clear head at times of crisis - but that's not always easy. So when strong emotions of fear and anxiety start to cloud your judg...
Beat Your Isolation Loneliness
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us are being advised to stay at home and avoid social contact to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Human interaction is a vital compone...
Sleep When You're Dead Tired (LIVE with Arianna Huffington)
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Business leader Arianna Huffington nearly died because she didn't get enough sleep. She tells Dr Laurie Santos how this wake-up call changed her attit...
Think Yourself Happy (LIVE from Yale)
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Really concentrating on the emotions and physical sensations you are experiencing right now can make you happier. Join Yale mindfulness expert Dr Hedy...
Grateful Expectations
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Grit and determination to change your habits can only get you so far... if you want to be happier you have to stop and think about how nice people hav...
A New Hope
06 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Research shows we all look for moments to make a fresh start - new years, new seasons, new decades. Our optimism about making big, positive changes is...
BONUS: A Happier Christmas
16 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Accept our gift of happiness this holiday season! It can be a hectic and stressful time of year... but it's also full of opportunities to feel happier...
Making the Grade
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From school grades to fitness trackers, we're all being ranked and rated on a daily basis. This is having a huge impact on our happiness and preventin...
Make 'Em Laugh
15 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The world's greatest expert on canned TV laugh tracks helps Dr Laurie Santos demonstrate how the emotions of those around us can make us feel happier ...
Choice Overload
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We all make thousands of choices each day - and think it means we're in charge of our lives. But making even trivial decisions - about salad dressings...
Don't Accentuate the Positive
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We often think positive thinking is the best way to achieve our ambitions - but the science shows it holds us all back. Dr Laurie Santos hears how cha...
Don't Think of the White Bear
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Once a thought is in our heads, we can't suppress it and trying to only causes us misery. Dr Laurie Santos explains why our brains work in this way an...
Caring What You're Sharing
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sharing a good experience with another human deepens our enjoyment of the moment... but only if we abide by certain rules. Dr Laurie Santos shows us h...
Mistakenly Seeking Solitude
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Technology allows us to bank, shop and dine without talking to another human, but what toll is this taking on our happiness? The inventor of the ATM a...
A Silver Lining
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ice skater Michelle Kwan was all set to win Olympic Gold... but in a major sporting upset she came second. Sharing her story with Dr Laurie Santos, Mi...
The Unhappy Millionaire
24 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How can winning the lottery ruin your life - while contracting an incurable disease feel like 'a gift'? Dr Laurie Santos hears about dreams come true ...
You Can Change
13 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You can make yourself happier today. Your life circumstances and personality aren't nearly as important as you think in deciding how happy you can be....
Coming Soon: The Happiness Lab Season One
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do you want to be happier? Yale's Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will ...
Introducing: The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
24 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Coming September 17 from Pushkin Industries Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for p...