How to Make America's Young People Happier Ag...

Your brain is changing all the time, whether you realize it or not. Everything from your hobbies and chores to the media you consume can physically shape it. So how can you make sure it’s changing in ways that actually serve you? Laurie speaks with neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davi ...  Show more

When we’re struggling to reach a goal, most of us assume the answer is to buckle down and try harder. But what if all that white-knuckling is actually making things more difficult than they need to be? Dr. Laurie speaks with psychologist Angela Duckworth, best known for her groun ...  Show more

The 2024 World Happiness Report, which ranks the happiness levels of countries around the world, found that young Americans are less happy than their peers in many other countries. Psychology professor Lara Aknin, PhD, an editor of the report, talks about how the report defines h ...  Show more

You might have seen headlines that the United States is no longer one of the top 20 happiest countries in the world. Last year, the United States was 15th; this year, it came in at twenty-third in the world. That's a significant drop, but it signals something bigger.

Teens’ mental health is declining, with 44% of U.S. high school students now reporting "persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness,” according to the CDC. Determined to help, Ofosu recently co-led a meditation retreat for teenagers. He talks to Leah about his experience and s ...  Show more

This is our second installment of happiness week on the Plain English podcast. On Tuesday, I spoke with the directors of the Harvard Study of Adult Development about what makes a good life, based on their 80-year longitudinal study. Today’s episode is about the phenomenon of risi ...  Show more