A difficult truth about being human is that our brains aren’t ‘wired’ to make us feel content, or even to intuit what’s most likely to bring us contentment. However, as Laurie Santos, professor of psychology at Yale, explains in this short video for The Well, this doesn’t mean we’re doomed to spend our lives churning away on the hedonic treadmill. Drawing on relevant research, she highlights the wide gap between what many people believe will make them happy – improvements to their finances and social status – and what’s actually been shown to increase happiness over time – being ‘other-oriented’, practising gratitude, and moving one’s body. Further, Santos lays out a comprehensive, data-backed plan for readjusting one’s sails to better navigate these ‘evolutionary biases’.
How to adventure beyond the same old foods
Most of us develop comfort zones with food. Expand your palate and discover new flavours, techniques and connections
by Nina Mukerjee Furstenau
