We’re kicking off a new season of The Happiness Lab with some
happiness hot takes — bold claims that challenge conventional
wisdom about what it really takes to feel happier. Today's hot
take is all about oversharing.
We’re usually told that revealing too much is cringe-worthy. That
it demonstrates social ignorance. That when it comes to overly
personal information, save it for your therapist, because less is
usually more.
Dr. Laurie argues that revealing more than feels comfortable can
actually strengthen our social connections and boost our
wellbeing. She speaks with Harvard Business School professor
Leslie John, author of Revealing, about why TLI (too little
information) is often more dangerous than TMI, and chats with
University of Chicago psychologist Nick Epley, author of A Little
More Social, about what “embracing the cringe” can teach us about
connection, vulnerability, and trust.
Together, they explore the line between sharing and oversharing,
and explain why what feels like “too much information” is often
just information.
Experts Mentioned:
Leslie John, James. E. Burke Professor of Business
Administration at Harvard Business School
Nick Epley, John Templeton Keller Distinguished Service
Professor of Behavioral Science and Faculty Director of the Roman
Family Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago
Booth School of Business
Bronnie Ware, author and palliative carer
Resources Mentioned:
Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing, by Leslie
John (2026)
“Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling as implicit
emotion regulation” by Jared Torre and Matthew Lieberman
(Emotion Review, 2018)
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the
Dearly Departing, by Bronnie Ware (2011)
A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected
Happiness, Health, and Connection, by Nick Epley (2026)
“Undervaluing gratitude: Expressers misunderstand the
consequences of showing appreciation,” by Amit Kumar and Nick
Epley (Psychological Science, 2018)
“Insufficiently complimentary?: Underestimating the positive
impact of compliments creates a barrier to expressing them” by
Xuan Zhao and Nick Epley (Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 2021)
Related Episodes:
“The Secret to Making Friends as an Adult”
“Why Giving is a Great Daily Habit”
“Caring What You’re Sharing”
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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