Think About Death. Science Says You’ll Be Happier. | Dr. Laurie Santos
The Daily Stoic12 Jul 2025

Think About Death. Science Says You’ll Be Happier. | Dr. Laurie Santos

The most misunderstood Stoic practice is Memento Mori - remember you will die. Dr. Laurie Santos, an expert on the science of happiness, joins Ryan to share the research behind why thinking about your mortality is proven to increase happiness. Dr. Laurie shares how to balance negative and positive visualizations for a fulfilling life, the Stoic practices that she swears by, and practical applications of Stoic and Buddhist teachings.


Dr. Laurie Santos is an expert on the science of happiness and the ways in which our minds lie to us about what makes us happy. Her Yale course, “Psychology and the Good Life,” teaches students how the science of psychology can provide important hints about how to make wiser choices and live a life that’s happier and more fulfilling. The class became Yale’s most popular course in over 300 years, with almost one out of four students enrolled.


Her course has been featured in the New York Times, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, GQ Magazine, Slate and O! Magazine. The online version of the class—The Science of Well-Being on Coursera.org—has attracted more than 4 million learners from around the world. A winner of numerous awards both for her science and teaching, she was recently voted as one of Popular Science Magazine’s “Brilliant 10” young minds, and was named in Time Magazine as a “Leading Campus Celebrity.”


Listen to Dr. Laurie’s podcast, The Happiness Lab, where she shares the latest scientific research on what it means to be truly happy.


Check out more of Dr. Laurie’s work at DrLaurieSantos.com and follow her Instagram @LaurieSantosOfficial, X @LaurieSantos, and on YouTube and TikTok @DrLaurieSantos


🪙 We have a collection of items in the Daily Stoic store to help you in your own memento mori practice, check them out here: https://store.dailystoic.com/


📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast


🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast


✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail


🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/


📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(2957)

You Have Access to a Miracle of History

You Have Access to a Miracle of History

The Stoics weren’t just leaders and philosophers. They were parents, spouses, and friends, who experienced joy, who fell in love, who cherished the beauty of the world around them. Reading Marcus Aure...

22 Apr 3min

Everything Is Connected. We Just Forgot.

Everything Is Connected. We Just Forgot.

It’s strange that we need a day to remind us we’re part of the planet we live on. In this Earth Day episode, Ryan explores the Stoic idea of sympatheia, the belief that we’re part of a larger whole an...

22 Apr 33min

You Are On The Right Timeline | Don't Let Your Attention Slide

You Are On The Right Timeline | Don't Let Your Attention Slide

This isn’t the timeline I’m supposed to be on, you think. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. But what if it is?Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life, but only if you know how to read his wor...

21 Apr 8min

Time is Racing Toward Us | Pete Holmes on The Real Point of Philosophy

Time is Racing Toward Us | Pete Holmes on The Real Point of Philosophy

We think that it’s off in the distance. We think that it’s far away. But this is wrong. Fundamentally wrong.Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life, but only if you know how to read his work 👉 H...

20 Apr 11min

31 Life-Changing Lessons from Marcus Aurelius

31 Life-Changing Lessons from Marcus Aurelius

For nearly 2,000 years, Meditations has guided presidents, generals, and leaders, from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick the Great to Arnold Schwarzenegger. What makes it remarkable is that it was never...

19 Apr 32min

How Does Stoicism Help You Overcome Guilt and Shame?

How Does Stoicism Help You Overcome Guilt and Shame?

In today's episode, Ryan answers questions from a live audience in Sydney, Australia. Some of these questions include: How do we keep our ego in check when things are going well? How does a Stoic hand...

18 Apr 19min

The Decades Disappear Like Sinking Ships | Impulse Control

The Decades Disappear Like Sinking Ships | Impulse Control

This is happening and it’s happening in one direction. We have to pay attention.📚 The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living by Ryan Holiday🎙️ AD-FREE | Support...

17 Apr 6min

The 5-Step Stoic Routine for Clear Thinking | Maria Semple

The 5-Step Stoic Routine for Clear Thinking | Maria Semple

The difference between reacting and thinking clearly starts with how you begin your day. In this episode, Ryan sits down with bestselling author Maria Semple to break down the 5-step Stoic routine she...

16 Apr 55min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
pengepodden-2
utbytte
finansredaksjonen
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
pengesnakk
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
rss-politisk-preik
liberal-halvtime
lederpodden
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
rss-sunn-okonomi
rss-markedspuls-2
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse