StarTalk Podcast: The Science of Happiness with Laurie Santos

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How do you know you’re happy? What can you do to be happier? Can we scientifically measure happiness? On this episode of StarTalk Radio, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Negin Farsad investigate the science of happiness with Laurie Santos, PhD, psychologist and host of The Happiness Lab.
To start, we take a look at how we measure happiness. Laurie explains why the two key questions are: how do you feel in your life? And, how do you feel with your life? We discuss if anecdotal happiness correlates with being chemically happy. We also ask, what role do other emotions play in being happy?
Then, we dive into some fan-submitted Cosmic Queries. Laurie explains the importance of social connections and even connections with animals. Neil wonders about people having emotional support robots. We explore the benefits of comedy and how that makes for stronger memories and experiences.
We ponder whether there’s any truth to the statement, “Ignorance is bliss” and we investigate the concept of “flow.” Laurie tells us how having our phone notifications on all day can suck away our happiness. We also discuss how having too many choices can diminish happiness. Are there different kinds of happiness? We look at the science behind seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Can we fool ourselves into being happy? Lastly, you’ll learn if there are any long-term scientific methods to generating happiness. All that, plus, do we want to be happy, or, do we need to be happy?
Thanks to our Patrons Victor Sanchez, Austin Douglas, Sara George, Maxwell Freitag, Glenn Hunter Lusk, Roch Venne, Vladimir Tkachenko, Robert Gilmore, Glenn Camhi, and Albert Holk for supporting us this week.
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"Black Swan” & "White Swan" limited edition serigraph prints by Coast Salish artist Jane Kwatleematt Marston. For more information about this artist and her work, visit Inuit Gallery of Vancouver inuit.com/.
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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[@kigozimuhammad]

I come from Uganda and I have been living in the U.S for a decade now. One thing I’ve learnt about how to build my happiness is actually to go back home once a year and try to live a life like the locals there. I don’t mean to look down on them or to minimize their lifestyles , but I try to busk myself into their life style, share their daily struggles, their worries plus other many things. This helps me to really appreciate the life I got going here in the United States that way I don’t have to complain about the little bit of luck and wealth I have going in my life. This brings ultimate happiness to me. So I think people should learn to take trips outside their bubble and see it from outside in to really appreciate how lucky they are

[@maple22moose44]

The thing is is that most people can’t go and travel like that

[@kigozimuhammad]

@@maple22moose44 I know people think trips to other countries are expensive but actually they are not . It depends what kind of luxurious life u wanna live . Now like for me I choose to live the same life like an average Ugandan would live that way I don’t raise eyebrows for whole to think I even got money. Cuz that would make u a target and u would be mugged . Plus it’s a nice disguise. Now live life like a local

[@gyozakeynsianism]

@MapleMakes You don't have to travel abroad to get outside your own bubble. How many people in your own community have you never met? How many places in your hometown have you never been to? How many great authors have you never read?

[@kilomilo917]

Startalk makes me happy

[@aspirine24]

✌️

[@HellaUtube]

I found my happiness here with StarTalk!

[@billsny9243]

yeah neil and chuck are hard to be sad listening too i agree

[@Stick-a-fork-in-Gmorks-tort]

I'm simple. I hear laughter, I laugh. I see a smile, I smile. I see a wolf, I curl up with and groom it.

[@Mr_Rabbit]

I see a great comment, I like it.

[@HossSwayerpr]

🐺

[@StevenErnest]

We have to tame our inner beast. ^_^

[@gyozakeynsianism]

And then it eats you.

[@Makujah_]

What happens when you see a pack of wolves? In a thick forest on a dark a cold winter evening?

[@bradyblough]

This sounds cheesy, but I have mild Cerebral Palsy and a stutter that makes socialization difficult, which led to me being depressed for years. For whatever reason, studying physics and astronomy makes me feel more connected with everyone else, and it's made me happier.

[@gr8kat1]

Today I was on the phone with my therapist, and was getting wound up when one of my cats jumped on me and curled up, and it was so very sweet and soothing.

[@nlus9912]

I think this has been the most questions asked/answered during any lightning round that I've see and that makes me happy.

[@KaterinaTalantliva]

Because they spent 20+ minutes on)))

[@Qwein18]

My happiness level goes up by roughly 3.14159265 points every time there is a new episode of startalk!

[@frogz]

this post had 3 thumbs up so i only liked it by 0.141592653589 points

[@ryvyr]

Rarely has something felt so timely and necessary, vehement gratitude ;w;

[@RockyP77]

Mr. Tyson, you are the person i most wish to emulate in my life

[@alabanzadedios1]

*No me cansaré de daros las gracias por la traducción y hacernos llegar estas palabras a la comunidad hispanohablante!! mil gracias!!!*

[@DaBlondDude]

Such fabulous questions, her answers were quick, clear and concise, startling as well for me. Negin's laugh is awesome and the humour was also great

[@davidderricott3968]

Perhaps more than any time I’ve ever watched StarTalk before, I feel like I truly love this show.

[@Courtnabees]

What a great episode :) I can't help but smile while watching Star Talk! Thank you Neil DGT and everyone who makes these videos happen!! 🥰

[@atlasfeynman1039]

It makes me happy that after a couple of days and 20,000 views that nobody has mocked that lady's laugh.

[@LyndseyMacPherson]

Loved this talk SO MUCH! Please have Laurie back!

[@suvigyabasnotra7378]

Please do a full episode on The Science of Inversion in TENET with Christopher Nolan and Brian Green...!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@kigozimuhammad]

quick answer. its not real. its fiction

[@suvigyabasnotra7378]

@@kigozimuhammad It's a Christopher Nolan movie....so you're going to get as much Science as you can in his concept. I've thought about Inversion deep enough...and nearly all of it makes coherent sense even in real life if made possible.

[@ahauntinglybeautifulmelody]

So you want our brains to explode a second time

[@suvigyabasnotra7378]

@@ahauntinglybeautifulmelodyIf Christopher Nolan is dedicated enough to explode his own brain for 6 years for completing his detailed script...we can certainly put an hour trying to unravel and fathom what he bestowed us with. After all, He's certainly the most hard-working filmmaker of all time.

[@kigozimuhammad]

@@suvigyabasnotra7378 cmon guys just because the movie was great and had interesting concepts but it doesn’t rise to the levels of bringing it on a purely scientific show that’s there to talk about realistic stuff . If u wanna dive into movie stuff here are my recommendations, new rockstars and heavy spoilers . Visit them channels they will break it down for ur . I’m sure Neil knows as much as u know

[@XgiliX]

Keep looking up!

[@David-ne2wx]

Unless you're in Australia, then look down

[@Stratonetic]

And keep moving forward. -Mr. Robinson

[@CommandLineVulpine]

Has a second meaning this time!

[@justincosby6809]

I cannot express to you how healing this was for me

[@Ashley.B.1985]

Same

[@joshuamonk3005]

Yes I agree. When I was a young child I got lost in Macy's in Michigan. I have never been in a Macy's since.

[@ImxPhreme]

Love watching you two after a long day at work

[@zhonlino]

Laurie Santos, she's amazing!

[@furrybear9416]

This is the only star talk ep ever I've thought waste of time, couldnt even watch until end! Still love startalk, it rules!

[@louisrifkin6411]

Music? The Food of Love!!😀

[@mmgibson1]

During this episode I realized that the current format of Star Talk coming at me through the coronaverse makes me happy. I not only giggle at some of the jokes, I get to analyze things that are said and decide if I agree with them or not. Typical science major, even though I am in my 50s now - she is still a big part of me.

[@gouravmishra2671]

Notification squad at 2 am from India 😂❤️

[@vj.joseph]

Hi, neil and chuck. I love watching your vids here in youtube related to science. Thank you for taking your time and effort. ❤

[@dariusechols751]

I get so excited when I see a new video post

[@byronlintnaar2235]

Me too✌️

[@mingarga3865]

Her laugh is contagious 😂

[@derickparrish833]

Happiness is nice to see. Especially when it's genuinely about other people's happiness. That's good for trust which is good for the future. Built in safety feature is you can't fake it.

[@Rizzatouille]

Thanks for this video Neil and Chuck

[@MindstabThrull]

A piece of me chuckles every time I hear Laurie talk about "critters" because I love Critical Role

[@gustavometz]

I’m happier after watching this episode.

[@createdbykoko]

i needed this ... thank you

[@kathryntate6809]

In the song "Happy", there is a line, "Happiness is the Truth".

[@karenlilianne]

Grate program! Thank you 😊

[@elliebplayin]

Happiness at 5 out of 10... possibly related to finding comfort in what is familiar...? Too much change can make a person feel overwhelmed, inadequate, stressed. Disruption to a routine can be traumatic for some, especially those on the spectrum, even if that disruption is intended to improve one's circumstances. That opens the door to the happiness in relation to mental illness conversation, which is a whole other atmosphere.

[@joseimpact]

this video makes me happy during a bad time thank you :)

[@steve-o6413]

Happy I watched this : )

[@HectorSanchez-ll8iw]

Loved it!! 😃

[@cesarmoya7]

Great episode!

[@ramkumarr1725]

I studied positive psychology MOOC under Dr Fredrickson when APA was headed by Dr Seligman. So I revisited the older learnings before seeing this on StarTalk. I chant nowadays.

[@Kevin19HDS]

I appreciate you guys

[@RickySTT]

In the last Cosmic Queries episode I watched, I was pleasantly surprised that the ads played right at the scheduled breaks. Today, they were back to ignoring the breaks and interrupting the video random spots. The Google is obviously trying to maximize my happiness gradient by rationing my ad satisfaction experiences.

[@oneworldonehome]

"After you have tasted the pleasures and the sorrows of this world, after you have tried to fulfill yourself with people and places and activities and holidays and hobbies and sports and every other form of distraction that may be available to you-when you finally come to yourself, whether it be from a great disappointment or a sudden realization or a lucid moment in your hectic life, when you finally come to this, you will realize there is a greater need within you and that it cannot be fulfilled by all the desperate attempts at happiness that everyone around you is attempting and committing themselves to." A quote from a teaching entitled *The New Message on Freedom* - read or listen to the whole teaching at *NewMessage .org*

[@andybeans5790]

I'd much rather hear a scientific approach to wellbeing over a "new message" from archaic superstition

[@marcusaureliusregulus2833]

What is the name of the podcast neil mentioned at the start?

[@gridhop]

When you give a thumbs up for the sponsored portion alone, 45 seconds in

[@Fiction_Beast]

i love your videos. Amazing learning happens in this channel. A small criticism, I saw a lot of intruptions to inject jokes that made the answers a bit difficult to follow. But again, i love your videos. edit: i felt happy at the end. knowledge made me happy.

[@barbaralachance5836]

I remember this girl from an episode of Going Deep with David Reese when he wanted to learn about dogs. She's great 😀

[@suzannepottsshorts]

I read a story once about a king that could only be cured if he slept in the bed of a truly happy man, but when they found a truly happy man he was so poor he didn't have a bed.

[@suvigyabasnotra7378]

Please Do a SCIENCE of INVERSION from TENET and invite CHRISTOPHER NOLAN and BRIAN GREEN for the Cosmic Queries...!

[@sicfxmusic]

Just watch this video is reverse brah😁 and stop posting duplicate comments 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

[@DouglasJMark]

Wonderful episode as always! One of many "emotional supports" I've found, that my daughter has been a fan of your years, is the Nintendo game called Animal Crossing. The current Switch version, New Horizons, has over 31 million in sales plus is ranked 15th all-time out of all video games. The pandemic's negative impact has been Nintendo's serendipitous gain. Can't wait to get home and connecting with my family and friends online.

[@jensbang7329]

I'm only happy when it rains.....🎵

[@justincosby6809]

Thank u so much

[@borisenchev2893]

I need to see Elon Musk on this podcast soo much.

[@nubbuka]

This. please!

[@3012davido]

that'd be awesome

[@stoobiestu1]

Agree

[@MartyrBrown]

Why? Elon Musk is a business person. He's not even that smart.

[@stoobiestu1]

@@MartyrBrown not that smart... riiiight.

[@chrisgarciahostof-isitjust6697]

I love LOVE her laugh.

[@Ozmala1]

I love sarcasm.

[@chrisgarciahostof-isitjust6697]

@@Ozmala1 it's not though.

[@ahauntinglybeautifulmelody]

Negin is so lovely !

[@Mr_Rabbit]

"I wanna know how you're feeling" "FINE"

[@snekers2038]

and they ask you how you are, and you just have to say you're fine when you're not really fine, but you just can't get into it, because they would never understand.

[@AlexanderEL777]

FINE F’d up, Insecure, neurotic, emotional

[@Makujah_]

Fun fact: people don't feel fine when they get fined

[@rezadaneshi]

Levity and bad memory are prerequisites to a happy life

[@yoinkthatscotum5145]

love it

[@tenzin68]

you are freaking making me laugh Neil!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@sherrymanning1116]

I have bad mental illness makes me sad alot star talk helps me so much

[@shley987]

massive coincidence. when Laurie was talking about notifications and made the "bing" sound. ii go a notification and thought it was part or the vide. love star talk. peace

[@timothykim378]

Just listening while doing homework👍

[@hassanchavez6423]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJe1n4yEnsxsoLc

[@count1572]

@@hassanchavez6423 What are you trying to say here?

[@steve-o6413]

Well according to the podcast if you were Happy while listening you'll retain your Homework...

[@SJG4789]

Well after I smoke. Yes. I’m happy. 🤙

[@gezaborbely]

There is no happyness without struggle and effort.

[@kimsland999]

I can answer this straight up. *Most people are not happy* Oh we see KZbin 'celebrities' seemingly happy, but in reality life is hard get use to it.

[@RandomVideoApparatus]

Their cheery or high-on-life emotional veneer is an opaque glass behind which lies their true misery

[@marcusaureliusregulus2833]

What is the name of the podcast neil mentioned at the start?

[@isaackitone]

But you still make people laugh Neil. You deliver science with humour.

[@AH-bm4ts]

This reminded me of "Inside Out"

[@ramkumarr1725]

Question : How does the psychologist work relate to Dr Seligman or Dr Barbara Fredricksons work on positive psychology? I do chanting.

[@rusteshackleferd8115]

According to Dr. Laurie Santos at Timestamp 32:40-ish my peak happiness at around 16 meant I was destined to be broke my entire life and nothing I could do would change this! Thanks alot doc.

[@ZTheLastViking]

7:46 smoking right now, couldn't agree more

[@chevysears4548]

Happiness is relative to the individual themselves. Some find their joy helping others find their's. Others are just the opposite. Some find joy in corporeal posessions.

[@TuxedoMaskMusic]

This kush makes me happy...For the record.

[@hustlehard4251]

Level of Happiness = Level of Inner Contentment of one's conscious sense of self existence

[@SlowVersion]

Chuck makes me happy and is by far much better cohost . :)

[@chan_artist]

very interesting painting

[@shaileshkris]

Neil, get Sabine Hossenfelder someday!

[@marcusaureliusregulus2833]

What is the name of the podcast neil mentioned at the start?

[@p.d.nickthielen6600]

I propose we call the happiness scale the Clap your hands scale...... if Your happy and you know it clap your hands

[@mamdouhalmaitah116]

Cant imagine happiness without Chuck

[@kylebowles9820]

8:00 lol this conversation is lit

[@acrocheezefpv]

"For just one 😲Dallerrrrrrr" 😂😂😂😂

For me, Chuck is irreplaceable and the show will never be as "nice' without him (thank you, I'll be here all week). That being said, I cast my vote to have Negin around more often.

[@ericaelliot4367]

Health is a great scientific measurement for happiness. Hellooo.

[@owenherlihy]

I mean sure, but you could be the healthiest person and be depressed and alone.

[@johnnester820]

"Forrest Vaping" - This is my new Mantra

[@Denosophem]

Can I get X3 speed playback?

[@ramkumarr1725]

I also heard that there is a happiness setting for everybody to which happiness regresses. Some people are by nature gloomy and some people bubbly, ceteris Paribus.

[@ramkumarr1725]

I think listening to Dr Neil De Grasse Tyson or Dr Dawkins invokes in me "Awe" which is a great positive emotion. The sun is white! Woah! Silicon for 1 kg! Woah! I think the universe invokes awe in me.

[@krystaldiaz8085]

Can someone tell me what that twilight zone episode is called please!

[@MMarroquin1024]

A nice place to visit.

[@SylviaDragon]

"the measure of your happiness at 18 can reflect the amount of money you make in your 20s and 30s" well damn, that explains a lot Dx

[@hophampton4816]

George Orwell 1984... bing... throws off the intelligence and thoughtfulness

[@edwardcarloni6356]

Hi Dr. Neil, can you tell me if the Earth gets heavier over the years. Things that die still are matter, just in a different form. And miraculously our planet regenerates matter. That has to have added some weight since day one. Love the Museum, fondest childhood memories. ✌🌎

[@atlasfeynman1039]

Totally does, albeit slowly. Meteorites alone account for a lot. There is a shooting star every night and even if it doesn't survive atmospheric entry, the burned up particles eventually fall as dust or rain. Solar winds and all the Earthly stuff that you mentioned are processes that have occurred for millenia. This is why Dinosaurs and fossils are found further down, where more recent activity is found. In fact, Archaeologists operate under the basic assumption that digging 1ft is the same as going back 100 years. Post Scriptum: His name is properly Dr. Tyson, if you intend to contact him.

[@donnysandley6977]

WOW 😳 light is so important and inclusive and darkness helping self being uninclusive 🤔

[@onigvd77]

also sunlight generates vitamin D when it reaches the skin, which is a natural anti-depressant. At least that is what I have been told, as here in Tasmania, we can have gloomy winters with very low levels of sunlight and lots of time indoors to keep dry and warm.

[@JustinPayton]

Love when there's two females and Neil. A LOT less interrupting happens.

[@RandomVideoApparatus]

🤔

[@InsaneGamer95]

Literally as Neil brought up villains, I was petting my cat on my lap

[@user-ec6kt2fg7m]

How much is procrastination related to happiness?

[@ZeniferJenZ]

If you're happy and you know it thank your personal astrophysicist 👏👏

[@isaackitone]

These guys' joke about the emotional support wolf has made me imagine a fully grown emotional support elephant or silverback gorilla on the plane. Now, that would be something. Like a scene out of the "Hangover" movies.

[@ericrobinson7184]

Goldmine!

[@gr8kat1]

I'm in Oregon, and, in the 2020 election, we voted to legalize medicinal psilocybin.