The Happiness Lab

Are cats really as independent and aloof as their reputation suggests?

Even happiness experts struggle to practice what they preach.

We often choose texting or email over a phone call, assuming it’s easier or less awkward. But what might we be missing?

The things we value can easily fade into the background when they become familiar.

Humor may be less about naturally being funny and more about learning to notice what is funny.

Big plans can feel motivating at first, but they can also be difficult to maintain when everyday life gets in the way.

Our brains are continually shaped by what we experience, which means even small everyday moments can become opportunities for change.

As a start to the special new “back to school” season of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie hits the new season with an informative session with Dr. Angela Duckworth about how changing our surroundings can make achievement easier and help bring out our best selves.

In a special live episode recorded at Dartmouth College, Laurie Santos is interviewed by happiness historian Darrin McMahon and she talks about why happiness feels so elusive in modern life, what we keep getting wrong about it, and where the most promising paths forward might lie.

Regret feels bad. But dismissing it entirely, as the popular #noregrets philosophy encourages, may be costing us more than we realize.

Regret feels bad. But dismissing it entirely, as the popular #noregrets philosophy encourages, may be costing us more than we realize.

As part of The Happiness Lab’s spring cleaning series on well-being, Laurie Santos sits down with Shawn Achor to explore one of the most underexamined forces shaping our lives: the beliefs we hold about ourselves and the world around us.