Little did Laurie Santos realise her rock star potential when she started ‘Psychology and the Good Life’ course at Yale University in 2018. So popular was it among the Ivy League school’s undergraduates that a fourth of them signed up for it. The course soon became one of the most popular in Yale’s illustrious past with the institution then having to shift classes to a concert hall to accommodate students.
Laurie, who was previously seldom known outside academia, soon had international publications profile her and even started her own podcast The Happiness Lab . When the pandemic shuttered colleges, Laurie moved her classes to the online learning platform, Coursera, where, till date, her course — The Science of Well-Being — has registered over two million sign-ups. Excerpts from an email interview with Laurie Santos:
Time affluence is a key concept in your course. What is it and how difficult is it to practise?
Time affluence is the subjective feeling that we have a bit of free time, that we’re not feeling so time famished. As a busy professor, I struggle with this tip more than others. And that shows that for a lot of these tips, knowing isn’t enough.
We need to set up structures to put these tips into practice. (She has set-up an automated email response turning down the many requests she gets from media). So I’ve had to put up an email like that, and be more explicit about saying no to a lot more opportunities. It’s a struggle even for me, but it’s worth it for my own well-being.
There is a pandemic that continues to worsen. How can someone cope with these threats?
I think we need to acknowledge the fact that this is an awful situation and that it will impact our well-being. We need to be putting in more energy into our mental health during this challenging time.
In terms of how to cope, the first is to actively seek out social connection. This is harder during the time of physical distancing, which means we need to be intentional about connecting with the people we care about, over technologies like Zoom or FaceTime or even the old fashioned phone.
Another way is by prioritising healthy habits. Things like sleep and exercise are more important than ever. Finally, we should recognise that we have some control over our fight or flight system through our breath. The act of taking time to mindfully breathe — like taking in three deep belly breaths — is a way to regulate our sympathetic nervous system.
What is your take on happiness indexes like the Gross National Happiness?
I think we need to know where to make improvements. Measurements do sometimes cause us to take action, so hopefully these measures might make politicians realise that we need major changes to improve people’s well-being.
One of the areas you focus on your course is social connection. Why is it important?
Every available study of happy people shows that happy people are more social. They prioritise time with the people they care about and other people in general. There is also evidence that loneliness can cause a huge hit to our mental health.
Can you share memorable feedback from someone who took the course?
I’ve gotten so many emails from people around the world telling me the class has transformed their lives for the better. One learner from Kerala said that the class really changed his outlook towards life, and that he now feels more happy and at peace. Another learner from New Delhi noted that she now understands what happiness is, and that it is achievable in what she called a “super-fun way”.
A word on how post-pandemic lives are going to look...
I’m hopeful that our post-pandemic lives are going to be even happier than before. We are now learning to be grateful for so many aspects of our lives. And many of us have taken the pause that allows us to think about what makes our lives meaningful. There’s evidence that a shared crisis can make us more resilient and happier.
