Happiness is hard to put into words, but science has uncovered some interesting facts about it. Here are a few to keep in mind:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Language cannot fully capture the feeling of happiness, so just enjoy it when you feel it.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Hormones called dopamine and serotonin play a big role in making us happy.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Engaging in creative activities, exercising and getting enough sleep can all boost happiness levels.</li></ul>

Some Facts About Happiness

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">People who opt to have no children are happier or as happy as people who have children (which might be the case because they have more time for themselves etc.).</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Smokers, people that are in a smoking environment or people that drink alcohol are less happy.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">One year after experiencing trauma, people are often just as happy as they were before the traumatic event took place.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The same is the case with one year after winning the lottery.</li></ul>

Happiness And Special Conditions

A study by Harvard showed that income doesn't relate to happiness. Money cannot buy happiness but it can buffer stress!Social interactions that don't aquire that much money are better than high cost social interactions.Happiness is also not generated by working to gain money, but meaningful work surely makes us happy.

Money, Work And Happiness

Natural happiness: It requires no effort, as it is the case when receiving a gift.Synthesized happiness: It requires some special effort.This shows us that our environment can be modified to increase our happiness:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">It can be modified using plants, windows, music etc.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Music with uptones can increase happiness.</li></ul>

Types Of Happiness

Social interactions and connections are essential for happiness.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Seeing faces, even with no talking, gives us a sense of connection; daily interactions help us stay present and happy.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Giving and receiving something increases happiness for both of the people involved, especially if the other person benefits from it.</li></ul>

Social Connections

Presence & eye contact: We take turns when talking, we share information and look at each other. This makes our attention peak. When we look away, our attention decreases again. Therefore, social interaction is a series of focusing on and off, of ramping attention and breaking attention.Physical touch & allogrooming: Light touch increases oxytocin and therefore bonds the people involved. When taking care of a pet it is also considered as allogrooming which as a result increases happiness.

The Components Of Connection

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">An ongoing set of choices decreases happiness. Less choices are better.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">When we are forced to stick to the choices, we are happier than if we were able change them (this can be explained with Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance).</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The prefrontal cortex is responsable for decision making, creating meaning, evaluating choices and focusing intensively. It impacts the reward circutry of the brain.</li></ul>

Decision Making And Happiness

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">No single chemical is associated with happiness.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Meaning and connection are important.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Be present and fully focused. The ability to attend and focus equates to happiness.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">By sticking to the choices you made, you increase your happiness.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Meditation can be extremely helpful.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Sleeping good is essential.</li></ul>

The Happiness Toolkit - Summary

Dr. Andrew Huberman shares a toolkit for increasing happiness and talks about the science of happiness.

I explain the science of happiness, including the different types of happiness and how our actions, circumstances and mindset control them. While it is difficult to standardize happiness from one person to the next, I outline a structured framework of what is critical to increasing your innate “natural happiness,” including financial security, purposeful work and relationships, and I explain specific tools to increase internal happiness (so-called “synthetic happiness”). I review how specific types of human connection and attention to our choices (or lack thereof) can increase or undermine our level of happiness. I also discuss the importance of certain types of physical contact, gratitude, financial choices and volunteer contributions that research shows can maximize happiness. And I discuss how factors such as children, pets, physical well-being, substance use, prior traumas and life-phase milestones affect our quest for and depth of happiness. #HubermanLab #Science Thank you to our sponsors Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Huberman Lab Premium https://hubermanlab.com/premium Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Articles Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness: http://bit.ly/3X3k71V A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind: https://bit.ly/3sMP64B Eye contact marks the rise and fall of shared attention in conversation: http://bit.ly/3hy04IF The Influence of Interactions with Dogs on Affect, Anxiety, and Arousal in Children: http://bit.ly/3htjBdh Books Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence: https://amzn.to/3A9S4UY The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity―and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race: https://amzn.to/3E3Und5 Timestamps 00:00:00 Happiness 00:06:27 Tool: Light Exposure Timing & Brightness Timing 00:14:14 Thesis, InsideTracker, Helix Sleep 00:17:51 Imprecise Language for Happiness 00:20:26 Happiness: Neuromodulators & Neurotransmitters 00:26:32 Harvard Happiness Project 00:29:22 Income & Happiness; Social Interactions & Peer Group 00:37:20 Work, Sense of Meaning & Happiness 00:40:13 Toolkit for General Wellbeing 00:43:06 Happiness Across the Lifespan, Does Having Children Make Us Happier? 00:47:33 AG1 (Athletic Greens) 00:50:20 Birthdays & Evaluated Happiness 00:52:45 Smoking, Alcohol & Happiness 00:54:23 Trauma & Happiness, Lottery Winner vs. Paraplegic Accident 01:05:05 Synthesizing Happiness 01:09:18 Natural Happiness & Synthetic Happiness; Music 01:13:45 Tool: Synthesizing Happiness: Effort, Environment & Gratitude 01:24:50 Tool: Pro-Social Spending/Effort, Happiness 01:31:55 Tool: Focus, Wandering Mind & Meditation 01:39:40 Tool: Quality Social Connection 01:41:28 Brief Social Connection, Facial Recognition & Predictability 01:46:33 Deep Social Connection, Presence & Eye Contact 01:54:00 Physical Contact & Social Connection, Allogrooming, Pets 02:03:00 Freedom & Choice; Synthetic Happiness 02:11:57 Happiness Toolkit 02:22:00 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media Huberman Lab is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com

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I explain the science of happiness, including the different types of happiness and how our actions, circumstances and mindset control them. While it is difficult to standardize happiness from one person to the next, I outline a structured framework of what is critical to increasing your innate “natural happiness,” including financial security, purposeful work and relationships, and I explain specific tools to increase internal happiness (so-called “synthetic happiness”). I review how specific types of human connection and attention to our choices (or lack thereof) can increase or undermine our level of happiness. I also discuss the importance of certain types of physical contact, gratitude, financial choices and volunteer contributions that research shows can maximize happiness. And I discuss how factors such as children, pets, physical well-being, substance use, prior traumas and life-phase milestones affect our quest for and depth of happiness.

#HubermanLab #Science 

Thank you to our sponsors
Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman
Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman
InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman
Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman

Supplements from Momentous
https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Huberman Lab Premium
https://hubermanlab.com/premium

Social & Website
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman
Website: https://hubermanlab.com 
Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network

Articles
Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness: http://bit.ly/3X3k71V
A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind: https://bit.ly/3sMP64B
Eye contact marks the rise and fall of shared attention in conversation: http://bit.ly/3hy04IF
The Influence of Interactions with Dogs on Affect, Anxiety, and Arousal in Children: http://bit.ly/3htjBdh

Books
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence: https://amzn.to/3A9S4UY
The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity―and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race: https://amzn.to/3E3Und5

Timestamps
00:00:00 Happiness
00:06:27 Tool: Light Exposure Timing & Brightness Timing
00:14:14 Thesis, InsideTracker, Helix Sleep
00:17:51 Imprecise Language for Happiness
00:20:26 Happiness: Neuromodulators & Neurotransmitters 
00:26:32 Harvard Happiness Project 
00:29:22 Income & Happiness; Social Interactions & Peer Group 
00:37:20 Work, Sense of Meaning & Happiness
00:40:13 Toolkit for General Wellbeing
00:43:06 Happiness Across the Lifespan, Does Having Children Make Us Happier?
00:47:33 AG1 (Athletic Greens)
00:50:20 Birthdays & Evaluated Happiness
00:52:45 Smoking, Alcohol & Happiness
00:54:23 Trauma & Happiness, Lottery Winner vs. Paraplegic Accident
01:05:05 Synthesizing Happiness
01:09:18 Natural Happiness & Synthetic Happiness; Music
01:13:45 Tool: Synthesizing Happiness: Effort, Environment & Gratitude
01:24:50 Tool: Pro-Social Spending/Effort, Happiness
01:31:55 Tool: Focus, Wandering Mind & Meditation 
01:39:40 Tool: Quality Social Connection
01:41:28 Brief Social Connection, Facial Recognition & Predictability
01:46:33 Deep Social Connection, Presence & Eye Contact
01:54:00 Physical Contact & Social Connection, Allogrooming, Pets
02:03:00 Freedom & Choice; Synthetic Happiness
02:11:57 Happiness Toolkit
02:22:00 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media

Huberman Lab is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com

Welcome to the official Huberman Lab YouTube channel. 

The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works.

Huberman Lab is frequently ranked in the Top 15 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of science, education, and health and fitness.


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