The science of happiness - with Bruce Hood

Can neuroscience help rewire our thinking, and add more joy to our lives?
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We all seek happiness, but our minds often hinder us. In our mental mazes, we fixate on shortcomings, compare ourselves unfavourably to others, and overlook life's positives.
In this discourse, renowned psychologist and former Christmas Lecturer Bruce Hood shifts focus from self-care to connection. Through seven transformative lessons grounded in neuroscience and developmental psychology, Bruce unveils a new narrative on well-being. From altering your ego to connecting with others, each lesson provides practical takeaways, empowering you to rewire your thinking.
Join Bruce for insights into happiness, breaking free from negative patterns, and transforming life through the science of well-being.
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00:00 Teaching happiness to students
05:37 The science of happiness
07:42 What is happiness and why does it disappear?
13:15 What affects our happiness levels?
16:47 Alter your ego
25:59 Avoiding isolation
29:23 Reject negative comparisons
32:51 Become more optimistic
37:50 Control your attention
47:21 Connect with others
50:04 Get out of your own head
55:06 How to achieve happiness
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Bruce Hood is an award-winning Professor of Developmental Psychology at Bristol University and the author of several books, including SuperSense, The Self Illusion, The Domesticated Brain and Possessed. His course, The Science of Happiness, is the most popular course at Bristol University. He has appeared extensively on TV and radio, including co-hosting the BBC podcast The Happiness Half Hour in 2021. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Society and the British Psychological Society.
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[@tinkerstrade3553]

I'm pretty happy most of the time. The thing is, I don't know how I got here. But it took 75 years of not trying, and just living life as it happened.

[@baonguyen7164]

Thank you so much for this amazing speech! It gave me such immense motivation to become a happier person!

[@Tracertme]

To simplify and take the science out of it human beings are naturally gregarious and you stimulate their well being with emotive connectivity I use it at work with my teams all the time. 😂❤ social media does not help… so many young people don’t know how to engage authentically, same for most managers actually….

[@kylecarter1599]

Who's coming to the Royal Institute to have the science removed?

[@samarindt]

Great food for thought.

[@stevefromsaskatoon830]

Emotive connectivity? You mean smile 😃?

[@veronicavoehl]

'Birthing Big Brains' would be a good name for a book. That video of the room was trippy. 💓

[@BeatlesBowieKrimson]

Living a meaningful life will lead to happiness.

[@empmachine]

these "upcoming" posts just get lost in my feed. I hope I'll remember to watch it; 24hrs is a bit much to expect me to remember random things I want to watch on YT..

[@Dumbledore6969x]

I have a ‘Backlog’ folder where I add everything from my feed to. If I watched everything from my feed I would forget a lot

[@empmachine]

@@Dumbledore6969x thanks for the idea, I might try something similar.. but this time, LoL, simply complaining in a comment made me remember only a few hours late

[@jonathanfilion7372]

You can add videos into your "watch later". There is an option under the vid to save it and you can keep videos there indefinitely

[@1wibble230]

It's funny reading all the negative comments under this vid. They seem to be the very people that need this advice the most and lack any self awareness of their own situation :) Great lecture!

[@ruskinyruskiny1611]

Martin Luther Kings critical question "What am I doing for others" and doing it is the short cut to happiness.

[@claudesylvanshine6551]

He definitely "spread happiness" as an adulterer.

[@AstroBizi22]

"It’s interesting that we're teaching students about 'the science of happiness' while their mental health crisis is only getting worse. Are these courses really providing long-term value or just temporary fixes? And why isn’t anyone addressing the root causes of this psychological crisis in today’s educational environment? Maybe the problem isn’t a lack of knowledge about happiness, but rather how universities are run more like businesses than supportive spaces for emotional and mental growth."

[@stevefromsaskatoon830]

I find it quite boring at this point , it's obvious that social media is f-ing up people's brains 🧠

[@claudesylvanshine6551]

Sustained and continued happiness is a new societal expectation imposed upon us. Holding the expectation over us makes people feel shame for not existing in this mythical state which then results in increased consumption to fill this "void" that was socially created.

[@Justin-xs2yo]

Wow, so many people who clicked on this video and then commented are so angry or sad. Nit picking this video or his points. Reminds me of when Elmo asked how everyone is going. 😢 so sad so many people are so sad or angry

[@ns1extreme]

Bro really put the bust of Epicurus(hedonist) when talking about Epictetus (stoic)

[@brucehood5212]

Thanks for pointing this out. I'll change the image. The dangers of relying on Google Images search

[@daveac]

He says 'those who continued went on to graduate' is that somehow implying those who didn't - then failed to graduate?

[@EdwardWilliams-lv3cb]

I think it means they only followed up with evaluations with the students who were still at the school.

[@NathanDudani]

Forget happiness, embrace 🐒

[@TheAlchemistZero1]

The Meaning of Life: Imagine an endless clear glass tube (representative of Time), within which exists a diorama of life on Earth. The left most section depicting our earliest single-celled ancestors (3.5 billion years ago), leading through our present and into a future yet to be experienced (farthest right). Notice the tube (Time) and the diorama of life displayed within - exists Simultaneously; Past, Present, and Future all occurring concurrently. Every life form within the history of existence, an interconnected narrative: as 'Futures' cannot exist without Past events. Similarly to reading a book, we can only examine moments of our lives which had already transpired (Past), those pages yet read (Future) remain uncertain until experienced (no cosmic spoilers). We can only surmise possible outcomes based on prior events (pages read), although never guaranteeing accuracy of predicting Future events. Without the existence of Conscious experiences, there would be Nothingness. Life experiences, Experiences, simply for the sake of experiencing - which is why Life chronically craves varieties of stimuli. Our corporeal forms are assigned avatars, which allows Consciousness to experience material reality. Works of fiction (books, cinema, video games, etc.), allows individuals to experience an extended Consciousness, whereby our emotional states carry-over into fictional narratives (frustration, anger, joy, elation...). All of this, despite understanding such events are merely virtual (occurring within said individuals imaginations). Books are experienced in chronological order instead of a randomized order; in order to maintain a cohesive narrative flow. Within fictional works, every character arc has their entire fate sealed; from inception to demise - luck/chance has already been decided throughout. This is also why every Life is experienced through a predetermined progression. Reality is a sensory experience, simply for the sake of experiencing a physical Life. the Alchemist -Ø1

[@NilsExp]

Just another bs book promo 😢

[@gcm4312]

Seems like buddhism got things right 3000 years ago

[@stevefromsaskatoon830]

When you're older happiness=defacating

[@sebastianthomas4286]

Sorry to say that the strange noise that you make frequently is very annoying especially when headphones are used. I say this because if you try, you can control it.

[@TheOwlman]

29:18 Damn, isolation is my preferred state - I do not thrive in a social setting; having spent decades trying to fit in it is just too exhausting these days! The good news is that I am fine and I feel no sense of loss or worthlessness (though I drink and smoke, so my morbidity remains high). Edit:34:07 But pessimists are *never* disappointed: either things go as badly as they expected, which is hardly a disappointment, or they turn out well, which is a total and surprising bonus. At best optimists get what they expected, but mostly they are disappointed that their expectations were not met - that has to get to you eventually. 35:20 Not my experience, certainly with exams. If you fail then you were inadequately prepared so you can definitely prepare better next time - it has never been a case of _I am a complete failure_ or _I am not good enough._ For the optimists I have known, it has generally been the end of the world with much metaphorical wailing and histrionics. I guess we have a difference definition of pessimist.

[@stevefromsaskatoon830]

So you're saying there's an advantage to me being miserable all the time ? 😊

[@TheOwlman]

@@stevefromsaskatoon830 You make the fundamental error of assuming pessimism is equal to being miserable. Not at all, in many respects it is being realistic, and thus not disappointed. I am perfectly happy, I expect little and get so many bonuses.

[@bokchoiman]

Happiness is less bad feelings, more good feelings. So if you feel bad, just stop doing the thing that makes you feel bad.

[@jonathanfilion7372]

Wtf. Why haven't scientists thought of this?

[@stevefromsaskatoon830]

​@@jonathanfilion7372😂😂😂

[@CrashingThunder]

Good talk, unfortunate it's littered with AI generated slop images.

[@Dumbledore6969x]

Who cares who made it.

[@CrashingThunder]

@@Dumbledore6969x It's mostly just tacky, but using them so heavily also displays an ignorance to the ethical issues revolving around generative AI. He "credits" ChatGPT in the images, which is also kind of offensive because there should be no reason to credit images generated that did not take credit into account when training the systems required to generate those images. Or copyright, for that matter, which is the more pressing legal issue.

[@kylecarter1599]

Someone didn't pay attention during the talk

[@Dumbledore6969x]

@@CrashingThunder who cares.

[@1wibble230]

You sound very unhappy, and ironically the person who needed to really listen to the words in this video the most :)

[@OldSwiss]

RI presentations are usually really good and substantiated ... this one unfortunately is the opposite. Cluttered with opinions sold as facts. American way of 'selling science' is a real disappointment.

[@AlexdaCunha]

What we conclude is that people love BS subjects 😂 600? Really?

[@spindoctor6385]

I think this guy's view of happiness is deluded. Very little science going on here.

[@dukeallen432]

University students don’t have real stress.