Yale happiness expert Dr. Laurie Santos reveals why everything you think about happiness is wrong - and what actually works.
In this live conversation from SXSW Austin 2025, psychology professor and Happiness Lab podcast host Laurie Santos breaks down the biggest myths keeping you miserable:
1) Why money stops making you happier at $100k (not $10 million)
2) How spending on others beats spending on yourself
3) Why rumination and worrying actually make problems worse
4) How your phone is stealing 30% of your social connections
5) The counterintuitive way thinking about death improves your life
Dr. Laurie Santos is a Yale psychology professor, host of The Happiness Lab podcast, and researcher specialising in human happiness and wellbeing. Santos shares research-backed strategies that actually move the happiness needle, from her "junior faculty lasagna" last meal choice to practical tips for breaking phone addiction.
Key Topics:
* Happiness science and psychology
* Money and materialism myths
* Social connection and loneliness
* Technology's impact on wellbeing
* Mortality and meaning
*Evidence-based happiness strategies
Follow Laurie:
https://www.instagram.com/lauriesantosofficial/
Follow Tom:
https://www.instagram.com/djhookie/
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction at SXSW
5:10 Laurie's Last Meal choice
8:12 Death anxiety and happiness
15:30 Money can buy happiness (Kinda)
22:00 How phones can make us miserable
29:00 The biggest happiness myths
37:00 Why rumination fails
45:00 Personal Deep Dive
#HappinessScience #Yale #Psychology #SXSW #LastMeal #WellbeingResearch