The Happiness Lab by Pushkin Industries
Pushkin Industries
You might think you know what it takes to lead a happier life… more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations. You’re dead wrong. Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. Based on the psychology course she teaches at Yale -- the most popular class in the university’s 300-year history -- Laurie will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will change the way you think about happiness.
Categories: Society & Culture
Listen to the last episode:
Most of us have people in our lives who love us — partners, friends, family — yet many of us still don’t feel as loved as we want to. Why is there such a gap between being loved and feeling loved? And what can we actually do about it?
Dr. Laurie sits down with social psychologists Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky and Dr. Harry Reis, co-authors of How to Feel Loved, to unpack the science behind this disconnect. They explain why feeling loved so often eludes us — even in close relationships — and share research-backed insights that can help us change the conversation, strengthen our connections, and feel more loved both now and in the relationships we build in the future.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most
"Social Ties and Susceptibility to the Common Cold"
"Toward Understanding Understanding: The Importance of Feeling Understood in Relationships"
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Win Friends and Influence People for Teen Girls
"Self-Expansion Theory: Origins, Current Evidence, and Future Horizons"
"Everyday Prosociality in the Workplace: The Reinforcing Benefits of Giving, Getting, and Glimpsing"
"The Genomic Impact of Kindness to Self vs. Others: A Randomized Controlled Trial"
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Previous episodes
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269 - How to Feel Truly Loved (with Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky and Dr. Harry Reis) Mon, 09 Feb 2026
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268 - How to Design a More Meaningful Life (with Dave Evans and Bill Burnett) Mon, 02 Feb 2026
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267 - The Surprising Science of Creativity (with Dr. George Newman) Mon, 26 Jan 2026
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266 - Why Chasing Success Can Leave You Feeling Stuck (with David Brooks) Mon, 19 Jan 2026
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265 - How to Bounce Back from Life’s Curveballs (with Dr. Maya Shankar) Mon, 12 Jan 2026
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264 - Stop Wasting Your Energy — Here’s What to Do Instead (with Dr. Diana Hill) Mon, 05 Jan 2026
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262 - Holiday Survival Guide II: Perfect Gifts and Fighting Fatigue (with Rainn Wilson) Mon, 15 Dec 2025
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261 - Holiday Survival Guide I: Ending Family Arguments (with Rainn Wilson) Mon, 08 Dec 2025
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260 - How to Experience the Joy of Giving Right Now Tue, 02 Dec 2025
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259 - Why Being Grateful Makes Us Feel Great (A Thanksgiving Re-run) Mon, 24 Nov 2025
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258 - Reset Your Relationship with Stress (for National Stress Awareness Day) Wed, 05 Nov 2025
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257 - How Horror Movies and True Crime Can Make You Happier Mon, 27 Oct 2025
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256 - Make Vulnerability Your Superpower (with NBA star Kevin Love) Mon, 20 Oct 2025
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254 - How to Make Better Choices (with Barry Schwartz) Mon, 06 Oct 2025
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253 - Take a Three-Day Weekend Without Losing Any Pay (with Juliet Schor) Mon, 29 Sep 2025
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251 - How to Spend Your Time and Money Better (with Nobel Prize Winner Richard Thaler) Mon, 22 Sep 2025
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250 - Eat Like the People Who Live Happily to 100 (with Dan Buettner) Mon, 15 Sep 2025
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249 - Why Having the Courage to Defy Makes us Happier (with Dr Sunita Sah) Mon, 08 Sep 2025
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248 - Stop Caring What Other People Think of You (Bruce Hood on 10% Happier with Dan Harris) Mon, 25 Aug 2025
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247 - “Can You Train Your Mind to Be Happier?” (with Dr Tal Ben-Shahar) Mon, 18 Aug 2025
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246 - "Human Minds Are Stupid!" (with Rich Roll) Mon, 11 Aug 2025
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245 - The Joy of Not Being Dead (with Ryan Holiday on The Daily Stoic) Mon, 04 Aug 2025
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244 - Anyone Can Play, Anyone Can Win (Cornholing with Michelle Hastie Thompson) Mon, 14 Jul 2025
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243 - The Jimi Hendrix of the Cello (with Joshua Roman) Mon, 07 Jul 2025
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242 - "Birds Are Like My Afternoon Martini" (Birding with Lili Taylor) Mon, 30 Jun 2025
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241 - How Good Manners Made Me Happier (with Etiquette Expert William Hanson) Mon, 23 Jun 2025
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240 - How Dogs Changed my Life (with The Dogist) Mon, 16 Jun 2025
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239 - The Two Words That Saved Mel Robbins (From A Slight Change of Plans) Fri, 06 Jun 2025
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238 - How Smartphones Changed Childhood (And What to do About it) Mon, 02 Jun 2025
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237 - How to Think Like a Child (with David Yeager) Mon, 26 May 2025
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236 - How to Tackle Bad Behaviour (with Dr Becky Kennedy) Mon, 19 May 2025
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235 - Is a "Viking" Childhood a Happier Childhood (with Helen Russell)? Mon, 12 May 2025
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234 - How Not to Repeat Your Parents' Mistakes (with Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach) Mon, 05 May 2025
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233 - Reducing the Stress of Parenting with Dr Vivek Murthy Thu, 01 May 2025
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232 - How to Build Resilience (with Ben Walter from The Unshakeables) Tue, 29 Apr 2025
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231 - Can You Become a "Practical" Optimist? Mon, 21 Apr 2025
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230 - How to Confront the Things that Suck (Live with John Green) Fri, 18 Apr 2025
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229 - How to be Awesome - With Almost no Effort (with John Green) Mon, 14 Apr 2025
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228 - How to Stay Hopeful (Live from SXSW with Michelle Obama) Fri, 11 Apr 2025
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227 - Why You Should Take a Few Months Off Work (Live from SXSW) Mon, 07 Apr 2025
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226 - Friendships: Handling Change, Conflict and Finding New Friends Fri, 04 Apr 2025
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225 - Twelve Sayings That Could Change Your Life Mon, 31 Mar 2025
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224 - Have You Got Trust Issues? Mon, 24 Mar 2025
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223 - Why Eating Alone is so Bad for You (An International Day of Happiness Special). Thu, 20 Mar 2025
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222 - Why We're Better With Some Threats Than Others (An Earth Month Re-Run) Mon, 17 Mar 2025
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221 - Harnessing People Around us to Feel Happier (Live with Ethan Kross) Mon, 10 Mar 2025
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220 - How to Find Your Purpose Mon, 03 Mar 2025
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219 - How to Inspire the People Around You Mon, 24 Feb 2025
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218 - How to Lead the Richest Life Possible Mon, 17 Feb 2025
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217 - Dr Laurie Talks Romance, Parents and Stalking on 'Love Factually' Fri, 14 Feb 2025