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The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

Can You Become a "Practical" Optimist?

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

Pushkin Industries

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness

4.714.6K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There are many benefits to being an optimist - particularly when things go wrong in our lives. But we aren't all naturally optimistic, so can we learn to adopt the best and most positive behaviours of born optimists?

Through treating New Yorkers caught up in the 9/11 attacks, psychiatrist Dr Sue Varma developed a concept she calls "practical optimism". She shares her tips on how we can all be more optimistic in the face of life's challenges. 

Read more in Sue's book Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being  

Dr Laurie spoke to Sue Varma MD at the 2025 World Happiness Summit


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Transcript

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0:00.0

Each day, we're tasked with making decisions that have the potential to change the course of our lives, whether it's something as small as what to eat for lunch, or as big as what job we should apply for.

0:12.9

And with so many competing priorities pulling us in different directions on a daily basis, like family, work, and our health. It can feel difficult to make decisions that

0:22.7

actually align with what we care about most. I'm Emily Falk, in my new audiobook, What We Value,

0:29.6

I'll teach you how the brain makes decisions, and we'll explore the hidden calculations that can

0:34.8

lead to more purposeful, fulfilling choices. Find what we value on

0:39.2

pushkin.

0:58.8

There's no way around it.

1:03.7

Sometimes life is tough, awful even.

1:06.6

Bad things happen all the time, whether it's an unanticipated health problem, a new relationship

1:11.7

woe, or dire news on the job.

1:13.8

Sometimes these nasty circumstances result from our own behaviors and choices, and sometimes

1:18.3

they have nothing to do with us whatsoever.

1:20.5

Every day, people become the victims of random accidents, natural disasters, or even unprovoked

1:26.1

attacks.

1:27.1

In the aftermath of awful events like these,

1:29.6

it's easy to feel upset and broken.

1:32.0

And when things are really bad,

1:33.6

you can even start wondering

1:34.7

whether you'll be able to pick up the pieces of your life again.

1:38.1

It is so fabulous to be back in Miami

1:40.7

in this beautiful city and this beautiful weather with you beautiful people.

1:43.4

This spring, I was invited to host a discussion at the World Happiness Summit in Miami.

...

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