Dr. Laurie Santos
Yale professor; science‑based insights on happiness, habits, mindset, and well‑being.
Mental Rumination Is Unpaid Overtime on Your Mind
The word "rumination" literally comes from how cows digest food. They chew, swallow, bring it back up, and chew again. When we do this mentally, we replay painful moments over and over. Psychologist Guy Winch calls this "unpaid overtime." If you're sitting at home replaying that meeting in your head, you're still at work. You're just not getting paid for it.
Teens Feel Trapped on Social Media; Toddlers' Screen Time Soars
This week at @sxswedu, I sat down with Bruce Reed from Common Sense Media to chat about technology, AI, and mental health. Most teens say they feel trapped on social media but can't stop using it. Toddlers are getting more screen...
Embrace Constraints: Boost Creativity by Thinking Inside the Box
Stuck in a creative rut? Try thinking “inside the box” and use constraints to your advantage. Listen to TheHappinessLab with creativity expert, Dr. George Newman, and find out how to avoid common myths about creativity that keep us stuck: https://loom.ly/2JnnWmM
We Overestimate Bad Events; Recovery Happens Faster
Have you ever dreaded something, only to find out it wasn't nearly as bad as you expected? Dan Gilbert and colleagues found that we consistently overestimate how terrible we'll feel after bad events. A breakup, a job loss, even a serious...
We Misjudge Happiness, Overvalue Milestones, Undervalue Connection
You know that moment where you finally get what you've been chasing and it just... doesn't feel the way you expected? Research suggests we're genuinely bad at predicting what will make us happy. We overestimate how much the next big purchase...