The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Pushkin Industries
You might think you know what it takes to lead a happier life… more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations. You’re dead wrong. Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. Based on the psychology course she teaches at Yale -- the most popular class in the university’s 300-year history -- Laurie will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will change the way you think about happiness.
Episodes
Mentioned books
94 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 33min
Why You're Still Using Social Media (Even If You Want to Stop) with Dr. Cass Sunstein
Dr. Cass Sunstein, Harvard Law professor and behavioral scientist known for work on nudges and public policy, discusses the “product trap” that keeps people stuck on platforms that lower well-being. He explains why social costs and peer pressure force participation. They explore experiments showing willingness-to-pay gaps and outline three paths out: communities, company design, and regulation.
64 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 35min
What is Social Media Doing to Kids? with Dr. Jean Twenge
Dr. Jean Twenge, psychologist and researcher of generational change known for iGen, explores how smartphones and social media relate to rising teen loneliness and depression. She discusses mechanisms like sleep loss, social comparison, and compulsive use. Short social media limits, school phone bans, and parents setting firm rules are highlighted as responses.
210 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 43min
How to Stop Work From Taking Over Your Life
Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and small-business advisor, and Guy Winch, clinical psychologist and bestselling author, discuss how work stress seeps into life. They explore threat versus challenge mindsets, ways to stop rumination, practical rituals to protect evenings, and strategies to offload high-stress tasks and build recovery routines.
80 snips
Mar 9, 2026 • 36min
Inside the Love Lab with Drs. John & Julie Gottman (Part 2)
Julie Schwartz Gottman, clinical psychologist who teaches couples skills for conflict and repair, and John Gottman, relationship researcher known for decades of empirical work on couples, discuss raising complaints without harm. They cover the Four Horsemen, hidden agendas, the Dream within Conflict technique, separating core needs from flexibles, and how to open a complaint constructively.
107 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 47min
Inside the Love Lab with Drs. John & Julie Gottman (Part 1)
John Gottman, a pioneering relationship researcher, and Julie Schwartz Gottman, a clinical couples therapist, share findings from their Love Lab. They discuss how small bids for connection add up, using conflict to deepen understanding, rituals like weekly dates, and keeping curiosity alive as partners evolve. The conversation highlights practical habits that sustain long-term relationships.
49 snips
Feb 23, 2026 • 41min
Why Algorithms Can’t Predict Your Love Life with Dr. Paul Eastwick
Dr. Paul Eastwick, social psychologist and author studying romantic compatibility, challenges common myths about attraction. He explains why dating apps and “mate value” thinking mislead, argues compatibility often grows through interaction, and suggests widening social pools and giving connections time to develop. Expect a refreshingly hopeful take on how love can be made, not just predicted.
122 snips
Feb 16, 2026 • 45min
How to Find "The One": The Science of Dating with Tim Molnar
Tim Molnar, behavioral scientist and dating coach who wrote Date Smarter, applies social-psychology research to modern romance. He explains using success-rate heuristics to reframe rejection. He shares practical tactics: set a ‘date number,’ use implementation intentions, improve approachability, optimize photos and messages, and favor real-life, interactive settings over swipe overload.
233 snips
Feb 9, 2026 • 42min
How to Feel Truly Loved (with Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky and Dr. Harry Reis)
Dr. Harry Reis, a social psychologist who studies closeness and connection, and Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a happiness researcher and author, explore why people can be loved but not feel loved. They discuss listening skills, radical curiosity, authentic sharing, kindness, and simple conversational mindsets that deepen connection and make others feel truly seen.
318 snips
Feb 2, 2026 • 47min
How to Design a More Meaningful Life (with Dave Evans and Bill Burnett)
Bill Burnett, Stanford adjunct and life design teacher, and Dave Evans, co-founder of the Stanford Life Design Lab and design-thinking instructor, offer practical ways to craft a more meaningful life. They discuss applying design thinking to everyday choices. They explore radical acceptance, savoring small moments, shifting from transactional to flow experiences, and building coherence and community to foster purpose.
313 snips
Jan 26, 2026 • 31min
The Surprising Science of Creativity (with Dr. George Newman)
Dr. George Newman, a Rotman School of Management professor and author on creativity, explains how ideas are often found in the world, not conjured in isolation. He discusses exploration before breakthroughs, treating creativity like archaeology, using constraints and transplantation across domains. He also covers systematic search methods, AI as a tool, and how to evaluate and persist with ideas.
