A podcast for the good life
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How to Flourish More Through the Science of Happiness
#happiness #wellbeing #flourishing
[00:02:46] Definition of happiness.
[00:04:09] Balancing affective and cognitive happiness.
[00:06:57] Happiness in vs. Happiness with.
[00:10:25] Misunderstandings about happiness.
[00:12:27] Evolutionary perspective on happiness.
[00:16:09] Happiness is within our control.
[00:19:08] Pursuing happiness the wrong way.
[00:23:14] Misguided happiness metrics.
[00:31:40] Social comparison and happiness.
[00:35:25] College student mental health crisis.
[00:39:05] Changing thought patterns for happiness.
[00:45:06] Parenting practices and discomfort.
[00:48:10] Practical steps for happiness.
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Episode 79 GPT
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Meet Dr. Laurie Santos
Dr. Laurie Santos is a Professor of Psychology at Yale University and one of the world’s leading experts on the science of happiness. She is also an expert on the evolutionary origins of human cognition and the ways our minds lie to us about what makes us happy.
Laurie’s course at Yale, “Psychology and the Good Life,” teaches students how the science of psychology can help us make wiser choices and live a happier and more fulfilling life. It’s the most popular class ever taught at Yale, with almost one out of four students enrolled. It has been featured in media outlets including the New York Times, [and] NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, GQ Magazine and Slate. The publicly available online version of the class, called “The Science of Well-Being,” has attracted more than 4 million learners worldwide.
Laurie has won numerous awards, both for her science and teaching. She was recently voted one of Popular Science Magazine’s “Brilliant 10” young minds and was named in Time Magazine as a “Leading Campus Celebrity.” Her podcast, The Happiness Lab, is a top-3 Apple podcast which has attracted over 100 million downloads.
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Links:
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Yale course: “The Science of Well-Being” (publicly available version of the most popular class in Yale’s history)
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Podcast: The Happiness Lab
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Recent article: “Laurie Santos’ Pursuit of Happiness,” The New Yorker, March 19, 2025