My Life Is Awesome, so Why Can't I Enjoy It?

Despite decades of economic growth, the population as a whole - and surprisingly - is slightly less happy. On paper, many have lives that appear awesome, but they're just not feeling it. Even those with great material and financial affluence are not as psychologically well-off as they could be. Laurie Santos, professor of psychology and teacher of Yale's most popular class ever, will explore this paradox. She'll argue that our brains have several dumb features that tend to get in the way of our well-being. On the upside, Santos says there are a series of simple mental hacks that everyone can implement to fight these biases and feel happier.
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[@christophspiessens3751]

Because of taking her Science of Wellbeing course last year, I am now doing my Master's degree in Mindfulness. THANK YOU, Dr. Santos!

[@MargaritaOaxaca1999]

Hi, congrats. Where are you studying your Masters?

[@christophspiessens3751]

@@MargaritaOaxaca1999 Bangor University

[@RJones-tn5vg]

Thanks to her and my therapist, I can experience joy again. I had really bad anhedonia during the pandemic.

[@christophspiessens3751]

@@MargaritaOaxaca1999 Bangor University

[@esthersantostt9549]

Laurie, thank you so much for your tall. I am really interested in taking your course. You are helping many people and that is awesome. Thank you😁😁

[@rmh691]

Very interesting talk. I have raised two kids, now in their 30s. We had many unique experiences traveling around the world. However, as adults now reflecting on their upbringing the things they remember with greatest fondness are the routine things and not the special occasions which goes directly against the adaptation theory presented here. It’s not the trip to the Galapagos or Machu Picchu or Disney World that they remember with the greatest fondness but rather the fact that most days after dinner we walked in our neighborhood and we played little games along the way or that most weekends we would find the time to go to the beach and build Sandcastles or that we would have dinner with grandma every Sunday night. They were well adapted to these daily and weekly routine activities yet these are the activities that formed the foundation of their happiness growing up. It is life‘s simple pleasures, the ability to stop and smell the roses in the day-to-day activities that folks find the most enriching not the brief vacations away from the routine so I disagree with the ideology presented here.

[@blitzscaling]

Interesting. Based on this experience, what's the unique value of new experiences like going to Machu Picchu?

[@t.slothrop756]

Agree, but that's the kind of insight that comes after doing all the grand adventures & developing the ability to reflect. It's hard to appreciate the quotidian *until* you travel the world and can make the comparison.

[@geniuspharmacist]

Jordan Peterson once said, that you shouldn't do what makes you happy but rather do what's meaningful and right.... If we do like he said, happiness will come naturally as a by product....

[@ElBe-v1d]

Jordan Peterson has accepted that he suffers from Depression. If mental well being is your desire Jordan Peterson is the wrong man to listen to. The stuff he teaches isn't working for him

[@abrols]

Good work, helping all of us being happy about ourselves helps make our societies even better. Thanks

[@philcampbell1059]

We can do something about the "glitches". Look into Andy Shaw's book - A Bug Free Mind. The best book I've come across on overcoming all the "negative" feelings - depression, overwhelm, anxiety, etc.

[@jimingram2702]

I am glad you are offering insight to people who can't cope with life.

[@thankyoujesus2836]

Why do we always internalize and blame ourselves when we dont feel happy? Is has nothing to do with our mind being faulty. Maybe we are not to blame for feeling this way, maybe its the systems we have created that make us feel so depressed and helpless? Lets just be honest, our systems arent working, they arent designed for people, they’re designed for money and profit and image. We are not free. We have enslaved ourselves in the name of status ‘whats right’ and whAt other people who will profit from us want from us. We are codependent to a system that is failing us. No wonder we are depressed. Our mind is just telling us this isnt working! There is nothing wrong with our minds! Its the systems we need to fix not our minds

[@laflaca6283]

Wise words!!! This is how im thinking

[@DAClub-uf3br]

I took her happiness course this past July. I learned a lot about what makes others happy. It didn't help me find any for myself.

[@vishnu439]

Loved it. Thank you prof

[@indirajayaraman4758]

Wonderful tips to carry out and remain happy most of the time!

[@anthonyprasad1402]

Oddly enough, I remind myself that I can now buy a chocolate cake at midnight whenever I want; didn't realize I was practicing gratitude.

[@Continentalmunkey88]

32:15 ambulance sales team

[@Continentalmunkey88]

5:30 aquarium jokes

[@JasonNelson-e4u]

I don't think it helps that our "reason" for success is like a giant space worm eating up space-time behind us as we move into the future; we don't work for ourselves, we work because if we get left behind, we die. Knowing we can take time to breathe and take vacation and feel good about ourselves just doing mundane things we like isn't an American trait, but we need it more than ever. Politicians could encourage businesses to adapt to their employees instead of stock-holders, but alas companies own the politicians.

[@drenek1]

This explains the paradox of depression despite material comfort ONLY PARTIALLY. Nowadays when you're young (say less than forty), you can see and feel that your life will not be improving in the future. You might get that college degree, but you'll be in debt. You won't be sure to get a job however. And if you manage to get one, it won't necessarily be in your chosen field and your wage will seem more like a joke. Meanwhile, the extremely rich are getting richer and are screwing everybody else with their faceless big corporations and unregulated global markets... That's very depressing. See George Carlin's take on this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKrZqadnqNurqdE

[@esthersantostt9549]

For your talk😁

[@Continentalmunkey88]

12:19 cars-state isn't misleading collegiate

[@yehielavital2382]

41:11 - someone has the article or the actual results?

[@amaruvega8903]

Where is the ❤️ button I want to hit it.

[@Continentalmunkey88]

20:26 deep-sleep state & caffeine state

[@Continentalmunkey88]

Stupid hard drives

[@Continentalmunkey88]

9:24 neuroplasticity-state>

[@guitarronco8219]

✨😍💖😍💖😍✨👍👍👍

[@doctorpete1]

Now I know why everyone is so miserable!

[@marcg1043]

Nothing new in this presentation. All old concepts and published decades ago....

[@leidarivera7868]

The hair. Recojete ese pelo

[@maxmandias3196]

Thank you Laurie, it has always been enjoyable to listen to your session!

[@jingmelegrito3164]

Thank you, Laurie. Learned a lot from your talk. ❤️

[@jingmelegrito3164]

I'm practicing her point on expressing gratitude. But, yeah, I mean it. Thanks!

[@CHANDANSINGH-qd8vc]

hello, can you tell me where i can find her yales lectures on happiness..

[@eadinwang8914]

Thank you for the talk and good luck for my listening test tmr!

[@renatagois1136]

End HOMEWORK! One should study while in the school, after that is home personal life. Because homework exist we are unable to concentrate in class and be present, and always have that worry and insatisfaction in the back of our minds Homework is the root cause of all my stress, unhappiness and lack of learning during the class in all my academic years End it since preschool all the way to college!

[@nunyabeeswax7937]

Think what it does to a parent that worked all day and has to come home and cook and bathe kids and their chill of doesn't know how to do homework and has to learn it to teach them to do it. Torture

[@sandrablandon5751]

I appreciate your awareness and your knowledge. Thank you!

[@Continentalmunkey88]

29:30

[@arnedomi]

This is highly reductionist.

[@zahoorulhaq6387]

Dear Dr there is good delivery beautiful words and i like above the board

[@zahoorulhaq6387]

Dr your gauidline is in this respect is v good

[@peterteng7202]

Thank you ..

[@PoojaSharma-mg2ip]

Very good