Dealing with Feeling The Happiness Trap, and Why 'More' Never Feels like Enough with Dr. Laurie Santos
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Jan 28, 2026 
Dr. Laurie Santos, a Yale psychologist who studies wellbeing and teaches the science of happiness, explores why chasing more often backfires. She discusses miswanting, our obsession with the future, time affluence, the gap between feeling happy moment-to-moment and being satisfied with life, and why social connection and emotional skills matter. Short experiments and small habit shifts get highlighted as ways to test what truly helps.
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Happiness Is About A Life, Not A Feeling
- Happiness research is about living a good life (eudaimonia), not constant positive emotion.
- Negative emotions act as signals—like dashboard lights—that prompt needed change.
Monitor Feelings And Life Satisfaction
- Track both how your life feels moment-to-moment and how you evaluate life overall.
- Use momentary emotions to guide immediate actions and life-satisfaction judgments to shape long-term goals.
Three High-Impact Changes To Try
- Prioritize sleep, carve free time, and practice kinder self-talk to improve student mental health.
- Start with small, specific changes rather than sweeping overhauls.
