How you pursue happiness could make you less happy.
Yale University psychologist and podcast host Laurie Santos told a Dartmouth audience on May 12 that Americans are pursuing happiness in ways that often undermine mental health and well-being, especially among young people.
Speaking as part of the Rockefeller Center and Dartmouth Dialogues series Law and Democracy: The United States at 250, Santos said pursuing more money, comparing yourself to others on social media, and embracing "hustle culture" to get ahead can do more harm than good.
"We're working very hard towards becoming happier, but we're often doing it in the wrong way, because our minds are lying to us about the kinds of things that we need to do to be happier," she said.
Santos, creator of Yale's Psychology and the Good Life course and host of The Happiness Lab podcast, said one of the biggest misconceptions is the belief that more money inevitably produces greater well-being.
"There is a connection between money and happiness," Santos said, "but that connection only exists if you really don't have any money, if you are currently living below the poverty line and I give you more money." Beyond a certain income threshold, she said, gains in happiness become minimal.
Instead, she pointed to strong social relationships and research by others on "time affluence"—having enough free time and flexibility at work. "The sense that you feel wealthy in time; so much more important to have time wealth than monetary wealth."
"One of the biggest predictors of happiness overall and happiness at work is the yes-or-no answer to the question: 'Do you have a best friend at work?'" she added.
Laurie Santos responds to an audience member during her May 12 talk at Dartmouth. Professor of History Darrin McMahon moderated the event. (Photo By Eli Burakian '00)
Darrin McMahon, chair of the Department of History, moderated the hour-long discussion at Filene Auditorium. Some 170 people attended in person while another 175 watched the livestream.
Santos' Law and Democracy talk followed one last week by Jeff Rosen, CEO emeritus of the National Constitution Center, on the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence. On May 28, Harvard psychology professor Dan Gilbert will speak about the science of happiness as part of the series.
Dartmouth's focus on supporting mental health has also included an international symposium with the UN Development Programme last fall, the Commitment to Care strategic plan for student mental health and well-being, the appointment of Dartmouth's first senior vice president for community and campus life, and the launch of the student-focused Evergreen, which provides personalized guidance and support.
Santos criticized the culture of relentless achievement that dominates many elite campuses and workplaces. She said burnout and constant striving can reduce performance.
"There's lots of evidence for the power of sleep and grades, that if you take an hour off of studying to sleep, you'll probably do better and perform better over time," she said.
Santos began as a researcher studying animal behavior, primarily in dogs. (Dog lovers tend to be quite happy, she noted.)
But her interest in happiness research grew out of witnessing a growing mental health crisis among college students, which she observed first-hand while living alongside students in a Yale dorm.
"It just seemed like there was this disconnect between what we were expecting students to be learning and the real level of suffering that I was seeing in the community," she said.
In response, Santos started a basic psychology class that taught skills for countering negative self-talk and other tools for students. It has since become Yale's most popular course in its 325-year history, with almost one out of four students enrolled.
Laurie Santos shares a happy moment with a student after her talk, which was co-sponsored by the Rockefeller Center and Dartmouth Dialogues. (Photo By Eli Burakian '00)
"I think what my students really needed help with was, like, on the fly when I'm beating myself up, how can I talk to myself in a healthier way? And those really resonated," she said, adding that such skills should be taught in middle school and even earlier.
Focusing on others is another way to improve mental health, she said.
"Another thing we get wrong about happiness is we think happiness is about us," Santos said, citing a "me, me, me" mindset in a "modern individualist culture."
"The research just consistently shows us that this is not the path to happiness. And I think this is something that modern culture gets so wrong," Santos said, adding that the country's founders understood the concept of "happiness was about everybody's happiness."
During the Q&A portion, a student asked how to reconcile the pressure to prioritize ambition and productivity with a healthy mindset.
Santos said the assumption that you should work to "absolute burnout" and "hustle, hustle, hustle" can be counterproductive.
"And I think that what we're learning is that's just not how it works. Even if your goal is just achievement at all costs, and you don't care about your mental health, it might be that by prioritizing your mental health, you get to that achievement more."
The program was co-sponsored by the Ethics Institute, the Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Office of the Associate Dean for the Social Sciences.
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Mental health support is available through Dartmouth 24/7 for students, faculty, and staff. Any Dartmouth student experiencing a mental health crisis can call the Counseling Center at 603-646-9442.