Press Kit

Dr. Laurie Santos welcomes meaningful conversations about the science of happiness.

For media inquiries, interviews, speaking engagements, or event requests, please get in touch. Laurie is passionate about sharing evidence-based insights on wellbeing and human behavior.

Laurie’s Official Bio
Dr. Laurie Santos

Laurie is the Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Psychology at Yale University.

In addition to her work on the evolutionary origins of human cognition, Laurie 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 4.5 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.” Her podcast, The Happiness Lab, is a top-3 Apple podcast which has attracted 150+ million downloads since its launch.

Topics

  • The science of happiness and wellbeing

  • Cognitive biases and decision-making

  • Positive psychology and behavioral change

  • Animal cognition and evolutionary psychology

  • Teaching happiness and mental health (creator of Yale's most popular course)

  • The happiness benefits of social connection and how to improve it

  • The psychology of burnout and how to overcome it

  • How to promote digital well-being and a healthier relationship with our technology

  • The power of gratitude, self-compassion, and more positive self-talk

Media Experience

  • Host of "The Happiness Lab" podcast (over 150 million downloads)

  • Professor of Psychology

  • Creator of "Psychology and the Good Life," Yale's most popular course

  • Featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, TIME, and other major outlets

  • Regular contributor to scientific discussions about happiness and wellbeing

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