The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos Why Being Alone Might Be Better Than You Think

In recent years, we’ve heard a lot of unsettling news about the loneliness epidemic and the dangers of social isolation. But could all this talk about loneliness paradoxically be making the problem… worse?

Dr. Laurie unpacks what we get wrong about loneliness. Along the way, she speaks with historian Fay Bound-Alberti about why loneliness, as we think of it today, is a surprisingly modern phenomenon. Psychologist Micaela Rodriguez explains why we often confuse loneliness with being alone — and why learning to enjoy solitude can actually make us less lonely. And writer Emma Gannon shares practical tips for embracing the joy of your own company.

Laurie discovers why spending time alone is a skill, and how getting better at it can help us regulate our emotions, spark creativity, and strengthen our connections with others.

Experts Mentioned:

• Vivek Murthy, 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States
• Fay Bound-Alberti, Professor of Modern History at King’s College London
• Micaela Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Yale University
• Emma Gannon, author, blogger, and podcaster 
• Matthew Killingsworth, Senior Fellow at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• Timothy Wilson, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Virginia
• Scott Campbell, Professor of Mediated Communication at The Ohio State University
• Julia Cameron, author, poet, songwriter, filmmaker, and playwright
• Blaise Pascal, 17th-century French philosopher

Resources Mentioned:

• “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community,” by Office of the Surgeon General (2023)
• “Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death,” by World Health Organization Media Team (2025)
• A Biography of Loneliness: The History of an Emotion, by Fay Bound-Alberti (2019)
• “Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind,” by Timothy Wilson, David Reinhard, Erin Westgate, Daniel Gilbert, Nicole Ellerbeck, Cheryl Hahn, Casey Brown, and Adi Shaked (Science, 2014)
• “How people think about being alone shapes their experience of loneliness,” by Micaela Rodriguez, Kathryn E. Schertz, and Ethan Kross (Nature Communications, 2025)
• “From ‘isolation’ to ‘me-time’: Linguistic shifts enhance solitary experiences,” by Micaela Rodriguez and Scott Campbell (Cognition and Emotion, 2025)
• “Solitude can be good—If you see it as such: Reappraisal helps lonely people experience solitude more positively,” by Micaela Rodriguez,  Samuel Pratt, Benjamin W. Bellet, and Richard J. McNally (Journal of Personality, 2023)
• A Creative Compass: Finding Your Way to a Creative Life, by Emma Gannon (2026)
• “A love letter to solitude,” by Emma Gannon (The Hyphen, 2025)
• “‘Don’t you have friends to go with?’: the stigma and joy of a table for one,” by Emma Gannon (The Guardian, 2026)
• The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron (1992)

Related Episodes:

• “Beat Your Isolation Loneliness”
• “Fighting that “Meh” Feeling of Languishing”
• “Emotions Are Data…So Listen to Them”