The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos What We Still Get Wrong About Happiness (Live at Dartmouth)

In this special live episode, Dr. Laurie takes the stage at Dartmouth College for a conversation with happiness historian Darrin McMahon.

Together, they break down some of the biggest misconceptions about happiness in modern life, discuss the most effective (and often counterintuitive) ways to improve our wellbeing, and explore how smartphones, AI, and other new technologies may shape happiness in the years ahead.

Experts Mentioned: 

• Darrin McMahon, Professor of History at Dartmouth College
• Martin Seligman, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania
• Lorraine Siggins, Director Emeritus of Mental Health and Counseling for Students at Yale Health
• Ashley Whillans, Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School
• Sonja Lyubomirsky, Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside
• Carey Morewedge, Chair of the Marketing Department at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business
• Gabriele Oettingen, Professor of Psychology at New York University and the University of Hamburg
• David Blanchflower, Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College
• Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University
• Jonathan Haidt, Professor of Ethical Leadership and Professor of Business & Society at New York University Stern School of Business
• Elizabeth Dunn, Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia
• Manoush Zomorodi, journalist, podcast host, and author
• Robert Putnam, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at Harvard University
• Kostadin Kushlev, Associate Professor of Psychology at Georgetown University
• Catherine Price, journalist and author 
• Michael Inzlicht, Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, with a cross-appointment in the Rotman School of Management
• Adam Smith, Scottish economist and philosopher
• Erzo Luttmer, Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College
• Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science and Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford

Resources Mentioned: 

• The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, by Charles Darwin (1871)
• “High Income Improves Evaluation of Life but Not Emotional Well-Being,” by Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010)
• “Income and Emotional Well-Being: A Conflict Resolved,” by Matthew Killingsworth, Daniel Kahneman, and Barbra Mellers
• Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life, by Ashley Whillans (2020)
• The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want, by Sonja Lyubomirsky (2007)
• The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, by Jonathan Haidt (2006)
• “Thought for Food: Imagined Consumption Reduces Actual Consumption,” by Carey K Morewedge, Young Eun Huh, and Joachim Vosgerau (Science, 2010)
• Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation, by Gabriele Oettingen (2014)
• “Declining Life Satisfaction and Happiness Among Young Adults in Six English-Speaking Countries,” by Jean Twenge and David Blanchflower (NBER Working Paper Series, 2025)
• “Smartphones Reduce Smiles Between Strangers,” by Kostadin Kushlev, John Hunter, Jason Proulx, Sarah Pressman, and Elizabeth Dunn (Computers in Human Behavior, 2019)
• Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being, by Manoush Zomorodi (2026)
• Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, by Robert Putnam (2000)
• Four Days a Week: The Life-Changing Solution for Reducing Employee Stress, Improving Well-Being, and Working Smarter, by Juliet Schor (2025)
• “Do Happy People Care About Society’s Problems?,” by Kostadin Kushlev, Danielle M. Drummond, Samantha J. Heintzelman, and Ed Diener (The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2019)
• “When Less Is More: Counterfactual Thinking and Satisfaction Among Olympic Medalists,” by Victoria Husted Medvec, Scott Madey, and Thomas Gilovich (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1995)
• The Theory of Moral Sentiments, by Adam Smith (1759)
• “Neighbors as Negatives: Relative Earnings and Well-Being,” by Erzo Luttmer (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2005)
• How to Break Up With Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life, by Catherine Price (2018)
• “How Does Turning to AI for Companionship Predict Loneliness and Vice Versa?”, by Dunigan Folk and Elizabeth Dunn (Psychological Science, 2026)
• “Effort Feels Meaningful,” by Michael Inzlicht and Aidan Campbell (Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2022)
• Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters: The Science Behind Employee Happiness and Organizational Performance, by Jan-Emmanuel De Neve and George Ward (2025)
• “Alysa Liu: ‘If I Didn’t Hit Rock Bottom, I Could Not Have Gone Up’,” by Alex Morris (Rolling Stone, 2026)

Related Episodes: 

• “Why the ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ Is a Bad Idea”
• “What Screen Time Is Really Doing to Your Body with Manoush Zomorodi”
• “What is Social Media Doing to Kids? with Dr. Jean Twenge”
• “Take a Three-Day Weekend Without Losing Any Pay (with Juliet Schor)”