Dr. Laurie Santos on How to Get More Happiness

In the entire 321-year history of Yale University, the most
popular class ever is a relatively new one called “Psychology and
the Good Life”, taught by Dr. Laurie Santos. Since it’s debut in
2018, it has proved to be so much in demand that Yale now offers
a version of the class for free online to anyone in the world.


Part of the appeal is that Dr. Santos is a really great
professor. She’s smart, presents lessons in a compelling way. But
beyond that, the class holds appeal because so many people these
days are not happy at all, with college students reporting
depression and anxiety in numbers that are astronomical and
terrifying. This trend was happening before the pandemic and has
only gotten worse since.


In this interview, Dr. Santos, who also hosts the podcast The
Happiness Lab, talks about what happier people have in common and
how to implement practices in your own life to start doing
better. Importantly, this isn’t a recipe for suddenly being a
character in a musical comedy, jumping and singing for joy all
the time. That’s unrealistic and frankly a bit gross. But
students who learn from her teachings report an incremental
uptick in their levels of happiness, laying the foundation for
better times ahead.


Helpful Links:


Paul Rudd goofing around to the Partridge Family in Ant Man and
The Wasp: youtube.com/watch?v=LzXywwT9fI0
The Worry About Yourself Video: youtu.be/4A6Bu96ALOw
The Science of Well-Being course on Coursera:
coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being
Dr. Santos at the Aspen Ideas Festival:
youtube.com/watch?v=ZizdB0TgAVM


Listen to Dr. Laurie Santos' podcast, The Happiness Lab, wherever
fine pods are cast. Learn more about Dr. Santos' Yale course,
Psychology and the Good Life, by vising her website at
DrLaurieSantos.com. Follow Dr. Santos on Twitter @lauriesantos
and on Instagram @lauriesantosofficial.


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