#305 Secrets from the Happiness Lab | Laurie Santos

2020 has already sucked extremely hard, but we may now be entering even more difficult months ahead, as winter sets in. So we asked Professor Laurie Santos to come on. She is overflowing with science-based strategies for navigating this difficult time. This is the second episode in our 2-part series that we’re semi-facetiously calling Winter is Coming. If you missed last week’s episode with Zindel SEGAL, a pioneer in mindful treatment for depression and anxiety, go check it out. Laurie is a tenured professor at Yale, where she teaches a blockbuster course on happiness. She’s also now the host of a podcast called the happiness Lab. In the conversation, we talk about how to handle the holidays in a pandemic; how to have hard conversations with your family; combating pandemic fatigue in your own mind; the need to double down on self-care; why the things we think will make us happy probably won’t; and the cultivation of JOMO and “time affluence.”

Where to find Laurie Santos online: 

• Website

Social Media:

• Twitter

Book Mentioned:

• Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life by Ashley Whillans

Take Part in the New Year’s Series

To submit a question or share a reflection dial 646-883-8326 and leave us a voicemail. If you’re outside the United States, you can email us a voice memo file in mp3 format to listener@tenpercent.com. The deadline for submissions is Monday December 7th. 

Other Resources Mentioned:

• The Happiness Lab

• The Science of Wellbeing on Coursera 
• Prof. Mina Cikara, bias & empathy scientist 
• Prof. Josh Kalla’s research on deep canvassing
• Jay Van Bavel, Director at New York University’s Social Identity and Morality Lab
• Ed Yong’s coverage on frontline workers for The Atlantic

Additional Resources:

• Ten Percent Happier Live: https://tenpercent.com/live
• Coronavirus Sanity Guide: https://www.tenpercent.com/coronavirussanityguide
• Free App access for Frontline Workers: https://tenpercent.com/care