I think there are a couple of things. One is animals are incredibly good at prioritizing some of the stuff that makes them happy, right? I mean, to take, for example, presence, right? Mindfulness, just being in the present moment. And so I think animals can be a great guide for helping us do that. But I sadly don't get to spend as much of my time doing Canine work these days.
Dr. Laurie Santos is Professor of Psychology and Head of Silliman College at Yale University. She is the host of the podcast The Happiness Lab and is an expert on human cognition and the cognitive biases that impede better choices. Her course, “Psychology and the Good Life,” teaches students what the science of psychology says about how to make wiser choices and live a life that’s happier and more fulfilling. Dr. Santos has been featured in numerous news outlets including the New York Times, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, and more. She has won numerous awards both for her science and teaching from institutions such as Yale and the American Psychological Association.
In this episode, Eric and Dr. Laurie Santos discuss the psychology of happiness and strategies on how to lead a happier life.
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Dr. Laurie Santos and I Discuss How to Lead a Happier Life and …
- Her podcast, The Happiness Lab
- The research she does with dogs
- How animals are excellent guides on how to be present
- The power of doing little things and doing them often
- Focusing on the small things can help keep our “stories” accurate and positive
- Gratitude and delight practices are useful strategies to create happiness
- The impact of sound and learning to notice pleasant sounds
- Shifting our attitude of how we spend our time (get to rather than have to)
- Understanding the scientific benefits can provide motivation to change behavior
- Self compassion helps to find the happy medium of being too harsh or easy on yourself
- Getting curious about our resistance to creating good habits
- How noticing and meditating on the rewards of a positive behavior hacks the brain systems
- Knowing that behavior change is easier when our environment supports the behavior
- Loneliness and how our intuitions are often wrong when trying to overcome it
Dr. Laurie Santos Links
Dr. Laurie’s Website
Twitter
Instagram
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If you enjoyed this conversation with Dr, Laurie Santos, check out these other episodes:
Ruth Whippman on The Complexities of Happiness
Jonathan Rauch on The Happiness Curve
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