The Happiness Lab uses science as a reliable approach to happiness
There are many approaches to finding happiness, depending on your life variables. The Happiness Lab is a mental wellness podcast hosted by Dr. Laurie Santos, a professional psychologist with an extensive background in the field. She has helped people clinically along with her podcast work, and her approach is from purely a scientific standpoint. She goes through various logical scientific methods and gives sound advice on the critical issues that influence our emotions.
It’s common for your brain to work against you, and becoming aware of these challenges is the first step towards actual change that can lead to happiness. She addresses the challenging aspects of life through a realistic lens and helps you tackle common issues that hinder overall satisfaction. The most profound topics include discussing the grieving process during death and how to gain control of your emotions when they take over during challenging times.
Dives into specific topics that help you to be happier overall
Read More »One topic discussed on the podcast includes addressing the realities of guilt. She asserts that there is a time and place for guilt, and having it at the wrong time is unhealthy. It’s easy to feel guilty when problems happen in life because you might jump to emotions quickly without thinking it through. Another tricky subject explored here is the concept of embracing your sadness to truly pursue a more rewarding life when the good times come.
Takes a look at the past regarding others who have studied happiness
The Happiness Lab explores scientific methods for addressing sadness in the past so you can gather a more historical outlook on the field. There have been numerous guest appearances, and she continues to have more professionals who can give even more insight. There have been scientists who took a keen interest in the concept of happiness, which is undoubtedly a core problem for the world to attain consistently.
The reality is that life isn’t perfect, and accidents will continually challenge your happiness. Because of this, you need the proper coping tools to deal with the spontaneous nature of anxiety and depression in response to life’s pitfalls. Studying those who have pursued this field is beneficial because you can still apply the theories to your own life and see if they make any difference.
Gives you practical and effective scientific strategies to improve
One of the main draws of this podcast is it will actively nurture you to better mental health with a host who knows their profession inside and out. Reliable mental health podcasts can be hard to come by, but here you will get practical advice from someone who has studied and dealt with people first-hand. Each day is a new opportunity to make the necessary improvements and sharpen your mentality toward a brighter future of positivity and happiness.
Often, the topics are unexpected, like being angry with more efficiency. It starts with accepting that you can’t run from the anger but can channel and handle it more healthily. You have more power to control anger and other emotions better than you think. This podcast helps you realize that there are healthy ways to be angry for legitimate reasons while preventing unhealthy habits that can damage relationships around you. It can be a volatile social situation that is unpredictable if there’s an anger problem, and it’s considered the polar opposite of contentment that needs scientific analysis to conquer.
Gives you specific themes to think through with encouragement
Many podcasts on mental wellness tend to be too sporadic with limited capacity to help you. The scientific approach is more thorough, considering the triggers that cause anger or happiness while broadening your perspective. This podcast features enriching themes that will stick with you throughout the day to ponder and absorb. It makes a lasting impact if you have severe struggles with staying happy.
You will find it a source of encouragement on a gloomy day. An interesting way that she views emotions is as a raw data source. Emotions convey information and tell you something daily. If you pay attention, you might be able to decrypt them to help you attain inner peace and let go of your fears or doubts. Anxiety is one of the reasons so many people are on medication, but there are ways to manage it without that clinical approach from a psychological perspective.
Answers the most important question, “What is stopping you from being happy?”
You might be asking yourself, “What is standing in the way of my road to happiness?” This is evidence that you’re only human because everyone has asked it at some point, and it ends up being multiple times for some. This podcast does an excellent job at answering the elusive question and has helped many understand their roadblocks.
An interesting thing surrounding this podcast that makes it unique is that you will find topics that nurture your close relationships. After all, if you’re always unhappy, it will start to affect those around you negatively. Moods can influence other attitudes, and you must explore what is stopping you from being the happiest possible despite life’s circumstances.
Addresses the concept of burnout and how to prevent it from occurring
You might find yourself going through phases of happiness, and that’s normal, but burnout is all too real if you bite off more than you can chew. The Happiness Lab will help you establish reasonable expectations while forming logical plans to prevent burnout. It’s easy to get carried away with overworking when trying to make ends meet, and this can be a tremendous source of anxiety that can make you unhappy. You will discover some scientific strategies to prevent burnout and make better decisions for your life.
It’s easier when you have a plan going into any situation instead of trying to take on too many challenges. If you feel stretched thin between work and family, you may not have learned enough time to nurture yourself, which can result in depression or anxiety. Dr. Laurie Santos is an expert on cognition, and there is a specific episode on burnout prevention. It’s vital if you’re in college or a high-demand environment.
Teaches you how to embrace sadness as part of your journey
The tricky aspect of sadness is that if you suppress it, then you will find it just builds and gets worse over time. This podcast encourages you to embrace the trials of life and experience sadness in a healthy way instead of ignoring it. Dr. Santos understands that despair can lead to a chain reaction of other emotions and unwise decisions. Even the most intelligent people fall into emotional traps, and this can be a good resource for freeing your mind to deal with sadness appropriately.
Sadness can feel like you’ve failed, even though it’s a natural part of life that benefits from a clinical perspective. The reality is that many people fear sadness and don’t want to experience it. The Happiness Lab gives you the coping advice to manage these negative emotions healthily without bottling everything. Dr. Santos believes that the typical world-view of despondency needs a vital adjustment. She is working to change the perception to a more natural tone and work with your sadness to have a better life.
Elaborates on scientific models like the eight pillars of grieving
An episode on the show features an explanation from another guest expert where they expound on the eight pillars of grief together. This is important for listeners because it helps to know the normal process so you can potentially progress through them faster. The scientific grief model is the accurate human grief pattern established over years of research. The podcast stresses that there is no “usual” way for anyone to grieve, but people generally go through the eight pillars at their own pace.
Managing your grief will depend on certain variables like the severity of the occurrence. The eight pillars are usually associated with the death of a loved one, but they can also happen with the end of a pet. Losing a job or failing in school are also potent sources of grief that everyone handles in different ways. The most important thing is to face it instead of ignoring the elephant in the room.
Helps you to identify and tackle your negative emotions with greater precision
The Happiness Lab is a podcast that stands out in the mental health world because it will help you identify your negative personal emotions. It’s easy to overlook them in life because behaviors become automatic, but once you start analyzing and asking the right questions, then sources of negativity will come to light. Once revealed, you can adequately address them and devise a strategy to deal with them more proactively. Negative emotions are surprisingly valuable sources of information that are relevant to our psyche with valuable messages.
Sometimes it’s even the subconscious attempting to send a message to signal positive changes by facing the past. There are many different complex emotions, and you might sometimes not understand what you’re feeling. This podcast is perfect if you feel conflicted about how you think because it can help develop clarity. You will explore how to effectively distinguish between subtle emotions like anger, envy, jealousy, and much more. It requires an honest approach, and this podcast will help you feel sadness at a lower severity level consistently. The Happiness Lab is worth listening to because it will help you take action in dealing with pain so you can live a more comfortable life