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
83 snips
May 11, 2026 • 35min
The Art of Doing Nothing
Ashley Whillans, Harvard Business School professor who studies time affluence vs. time famine. Tom Hodgkinson, writer and founder of The Idler who champions idling and naps. They debate why we trade time for money, how time scarcity hurts kindness and creativity, and practical ways to reclaim moments—long lunches, naps, outsourcing, and using travel to unplug.
95 snips
May 4, 2026 • 46min
What Screen Time Is Really Doing to Your Body with Manoush Zomorodi
Manoush Zomorodi, journalist and author of Body Electric, explores the hidden physical toll of screen-heavy life. They dig into brain fog, metabolism, posture, breathing, hearing, and vision changes. There’s also talk of boring walks, five-minute movement breaks, better workplace norms, sleep-disrupting habits, and why downtime helps us reset.
83 snips
Apr 27, 2026 • 26min
Why More Stuff Doesn’t Make You Happier
Amit Kumar, assistant professor of marketing and psychology at UT Austin who studies how purchases affect pleasure. He discusses why experiential spending often outlasts the thrill of buying. Short chats cover dopamine-driven shopping, why we accumulate stuff, and how experiences boost anticipation, connection, and lasting joy.
249 snips
Apr 20, 2026 • 38min
Your Environment Affects Your Happiness More Than You Think with Dr. Leidy Klotz
Leidy Klotz, a professor of engineering and architecture and author researching how built spaces shape behavior. He explains how room layout, clutter, and lighting quietly steer mood and attention. Short, practical ideas cover boosting connection with seating, reducing choice overload, using place to anchor memory, and small shifts that make spaces more supportive.
122 snips
Apr 13, 2026 • 33min
How to Break Up with Your Bad Habits
Wendy Wood, a USC psychologist and habit researcher, dives into why bad routines cling so tightly. She explores how context and automatic cues shape behavior. A striking Vietnam heroin story challenges what we think about addiction. There’s also a look at making good routines easier and bad ones harder through simple environmental tweaks.
89 snips
Apr 6, 2026 • 39min
Why It Hurts to Hold a Grudge — and How to Let Go with Dr. Fred Luskin
Dr. Fred Luskin, psychologist who runs Stanford’s Forgiveness Projects, shares why grudges cling and how letting go heals the body and mind. Miroslav Volf, Yale theologian, reflects on profound family loss and radical forgiveness. They discuss why forgiveness is hard, how it differs from reconciliation, practical steps to start, and forgiveness as an ongoing, embodied practice.
141 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.
105 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.
289 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.
91 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.
