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

What would it take to make you happier? A raise? A promotion? Getting into your dream school? Winning the lottery? It turns out that we’re surprisingly bad at predicting how these events will actually make us feel. When they do make us happier, research shows that the highs won’t ...  Show more

Men today are spending less time with friends, and many have no close friendships at all. Research shows that this lack of social connection can lead to serious long-term consequences for men's mental and physical health. The answer isn’t just more social interaction. Guys need s ...  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