The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos27 Huhti

Why More Stuff Doesn’t Make You Happier

Buying something new can trigger a rush of dopamine, leading to a momentary boost in happiness. But the rush is fleeting, and over time, our possessions can end up weighing us down more than they lift us up.

As part of our series on spring cleaning your wellbeing, Dr. Laurie explores why material things so often fail to make us happier, and why experiences are usually a better investment in our long-term wellbeing. Along the way, she talks with psychologist Bruce Hood, researcher Amit Kumar, and writer Cait Flanders, who reflects on the psychological benefits of shifting from a maximalist lifestyle to a minimalist one.

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s actually worth the time and effort to clean out your closet, this episode offers some answers.

Experts Mentioned:

Bruce Hood, professor of developmental psychology in society at the University of Bristol
Amit Kumar, assistant professor of marketing and psychology at the University of Texas at Austin
Cait Flanders, author of The Year of Less and Adventures in Opting Out
Richard Easterlin, economist and professor at the University of Southern California, originator of the Easterlin Paradox

Resources Mentioned:

Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need, by Bruce Hood (2019)
The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store, by Cait Flanders (2018)
“Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical Evidence” by Richard A. Easterlin (Nations and Households in Economic Growth, 1974)

Related Episodes:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(272)

The Life-Changing Power of a Sabbatical

It’s hard to focus on wellbeing when we’re expected to work nonstop until retirement. Taking a break from time to time should be a given, not a privilege. Dr. Laurie works in one of the few industries...

17 Elo 48min

You're Actually Not Bothering People Enough

Most of us hate asking for favors. We worry about being a burden, coming across as needy, or facing rejection for asking too much. But what if our fear of bothering people is stopping us, and the peop...

10 Elo 26min

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......

3 Elo 46min

Winning the Lottery Could Ruin Your Life

What would it take to make you happier? A raise? A promotion? Getting into your dream school? Winning the lottery? It turns out that we’re surprisingly bad at predicting how these events will actually...

27 Heinä 41min

Men Don’t Just Need Friends. They Need Bromance.

Men today are spending less time with friends, and many have no close friendships at all. Research shows that this lack of social connection can lead to serious long-term consequences for men's mental...

20 Heinä 43min

Forget Small Talk: Go Deep Instead

Most of us default to small talk. It's polite, familiar, and feels like the safest way to start a conversation. But it may also be one of the biggest barriers to genuine connection. Dr. Laurie speaks ...

13 Heinä 37min

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 a...

6 Heinä 50min

Why the “Pursuit of Happiness” Is a Bad Idea

The “pursuit of happiness” is one of America’s founding ideals. But what if chasing happiness is actually making us feel worse? In honor of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Dr. Laurie t...

29 Kesä 46min