Why We Want Things We Don’t Actually Like - Dr. Laurie Santos (#62)
The Kevin Rose Show
Kevin Rose
4.9 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 18 June 2024
⏱️ 73 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Dr. Laurie Santos, a renowned happiness researcher, delves into the intricacies of what makes us happy. With over 35 million downloads, Laurie's popular podcast has captivated audiences by exploring why young people are often unhappy, the habits of very happy people, and the impact of screens on our well-being. Join us as we uncover the evolutionary purpose of negative emotions, the importance of real-life interactions, and the surprising U-shaped curve of happiness throughout our lives.
Show Notes with Timestamps
[00:00:00] - Introduction: Exploring the vast topic of happiness[00:01:00] - Popular podcast with over 35 million downloads[00:02:00] - Why are young people so unhappy?[00:03:00] - Habits of very happy people: Spending time with others and less on screens[00:05:00] - Importance of real-life presence and outdoor activities[00:07:00] - Evolutionary purpose of negative emotions[00:09:00] - Role of boredom in finding meaningful activities[00:11:00] - Screens as a band-aid for boredom[00:13:00] - U-shaped curve of happiness from childhood to midlife[00:15:00] - Strategies for improving happiness in daily life[00:17:00] - The impact of gratitude on happiness[00:19:00] - Social connections and their effect on well-being[00:21:00] - The role of exercise in boosting happiness[00:23:00] - Mindfulness and its benefits[00:25:00] - Finding purpose and meaning in life[00:27:00] - The science behind positive psychology[00:29:00] - Common misconceptions about happiness[00:31:00] - Practical tips for cultivating happiness[00:33:00] - The impact of sleep on mood and happiness[00:35:00] - How to deal with negative emotions constructively[00:37:00] - The influence of diet on mental well-being[00:39:00] - The importance of setting realistic goals[00:41:00] - Overcoming societal pressures and expectations[00:43:00] - The role of creativity and hobbies in happiness[00:45:00] - Building resilience and coping with setbacks[00:47:00] - Conclusion and final thoughts on achieving happiness
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| 0:00.0 | Happiness is a massive topic. |
| 0:02.8 | Where do we even begin? |
| 0:05.2 | Popular podcast, more than 35 million downloads. |
| 0:08.4 | Why are our young people so unhappy? |
| 0:10.4 | If you look at very happy people, what are they doing differently? |
| 0:13.4 | What you find is they spend a lot of time with other people. They don't spend a lot of time on |
| 0:17.1 | screens. They spend more time just proportionately in real life, whether that's |
| 0:20.8 | being present walking around outside or something. |
| 0:23.2 | Touching grass. |
| 0:24.2 | All negative emotions really have a good evolutionary purpose. |
| 0:27.6 | Boredum is our cue that, like, oh, I should go out and do something stimulating, |
| 0:31.4 | I should find something meaningful. Whereas when we can kind of slap the screen |
| 0:34.6 | band-aid on our boredom, we never have to feel it long enough to find what we really want to do. |
| 0:39.5 | Happiness tends to have to sort of u-shaped curve. Starts off good when you're young and you're a kid you tend to be pretty happy and |
| 0:44.7 | then you get to midlife and it kind of sucks. |
| 0:46.5 | There's lots of research showing that perfectionism is going up since the 80s to now. |
| 0:50.9 | There are like 30 to 40 percent increases. |
| 0:53.5 | Level of depression right now nationally is more than 40 percent of students |
| 0:56.6 | report being too depressed to function most days and that number has |
| 0:59.7 | doubled in the last eight to nine years. |
| 1:01.7 | Similar things for anxiety right now. |
| 1:03.3 | Anxiety is at like. |
... |
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