651: 36 years of happiness research points to this | Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D.

"Almost all of the interventions that make us happier work because they make us feel more connected and more loved,’ says Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D. Lyubomirsky is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the bestselling author of The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness—and her latest, How to Feel Loved (Harper Collins, 2026), paired with a mainstage TED talk. A Harvard and Stanford-trained scientist whose research has been featured in the New York Times, on podcasts, and in documentaries worldwide, she is one of the world's leading experts on the science of happiness 00:00 - What connects every happiness practice 03:24 - Why you should talk to strangers 04:41 - Kindness changes your DNA 08:32 - Money, power, & fame are overrated 10:36 - The case for reaching out to old friends 13:49 - Why 70% don't feel loved enough 17:03 - The walls we walk around with 18:52 - The radical curiosity mindset 23:55 - How to really listen  28:19 - AI as a companion 31:05 - The relationship SEAsaw 39:00 - When introverts act extroverted 43:40 - The conversation to have tomorrow Referenced in the episode:  For more about Lyubomirsky & her research, visit her website: https://sonjalyubomirsky.com/  Buy her new book: https://a.co/d/04sCyQSj  Listen to her mainstage TED talk: https://youtu.be/pdRWeK9f02w?si=1vV8cwwsSHeCMZ3y  For more about Nicholas Epley’s research & upcoming book, visit his website: https://www.nicholasepley.com/ We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices