Today we welcome Sonja Lyubomirsky who is a distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Originally from Russia, she received her A.B., summa cum laude, from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in Social/Personality Psychology from Stanford University. Her research has been featured in hundreds of magazines, newspapers, shows and documentaries in North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Dr. Lyubomirsky’s best-selling books The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness have been published and translated in over 16 countries.

In this episode, I talk to Sonja Lyubomirsky about happiness. Across all of her research, Dr. Lyubomirsky has found that connection is what makes people happy. So then, how do we form high-quality connections? Dr. Lyubomirsky gives us insight on how to use kindness, reciprocity, and gratitude to maintain and strengthen our relationships. We also touch on the topics of psychedelics, interpersonal chemistry, and social media.

Website: drsonja.net

Twitter: @slyubomirsky

Topics

01:38 Sonja’s interest in happiness research

03:56 The Happiness Pie Chart

07:55 The Set-point Theory of Happiness

10:42 Connection is the key to happiness

15:19 Are extroverts happier? 

20:12 Psychedelic social psychology

25:25 The Happiness Boomerang Effect

29:58 What makes for great conversation?

34:16 High-quality connections

36:47 How to create interpersonal chemistry

42:44 Can you count too many blessings?

45:27 Apps that make us happy and unhappy 

51:39 Kindness boosts immunity