The Science of Happiness: Clinicians Urged to Prioritize Wellbeing and Reframe Negative Emotions
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A new perspective on happiness emphasizes the importance of mindset and behavior shifts over circumstantial changes, urging clinicians to prioritize their own wellbeing to better serve patients.
What is happiness? According to Laurie R. Santos, MA, phd, social scientists define it as “the idea that you want to be happy both in your life and with your life.” this encompasses both the cognitive and affective aspects of wellbeing, with the former relating to life satisfaction and the latter to the ratio of positive to negative emotions. Santos, the Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Psychology at yale University and host of the Happiness Lab podcast, shared these insights during her presentation at the Lifestyle Medicine Conference in Dallas.
Santos explained that happiness isn’t simply about maximizing positive emotions, but also about how individuals address negative ones. “I’ve come to see negative emotions less as a thing I want to get rid of so I can feel better in my life and more as an essential signal that I need to pay attention to in order to improve my happiness,” she stated. This nuanced understanding formed the core of her discussion.
Debunking Happiness Myths
A central theme of Santos’s presentation was the dismantling of common misconceptions about happiness. One of the most pervasive, she noted, is the belief that external circumstances are the primary drivers of wellbeing.
“If I could get rich and become really accomplished, then I would be happier,” is a sentiment she frequently encounters. However, Santos emphasized that while circumstances do matter, their impact is often overestimated and doesn’t last as long as people believe. “Changing your circumstances – getting more money, becoming more successful – won’t move your happiness as much as you think or also for provided that you think,” she cautioned. The key, she argued, lies in shifting behaviors and mindsets.
Practical Strategies for Clinicians and Patients
Santos outlined several evidence-based strategies clinicians can both implement in their own lives and recommend to patients. Social connection emerged as a particularly powerful tool. “Pretty much every available study of happy people suggests that happy people are more social,” she said, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing time with friends, family, and even engaging in casual conversations with strangers.
Beyond social interaction, healthy practices like adequate sleep and regular exercise are crucial. Santos cited a meta-analysis demonstrating that 30 minutes of cardiac exercise can be as effective as antidepressant medication in reducing depression symptoms, suggesting clinicians should consider “prescribing moving your body.”
Santos highlighted the power of a mindset shift, advocating for practices like gratitude and mindfulness to combat the tendency to focus on daily hassles.
When asked which strategy is most impactful, Santos advised individuals to focus on the one they are not currently prioritizing. She also emphasized the importance of time affluence – the feeling of having enough time – noting that feeling “time famished” can be as detrimental to wellbeing as unemployment.
Prioritizing Self-Care: “Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On First”
Santos’s core message to clinicians was a simple yet profound reminder: “You have got to put your own oxygen mask on first.” She acknowledged that lifestyle medicine practitioners often understand the principles of wellbeing but struggle to apply them to their own lives. By prioritizing self-care, clinicians can not only improve their own happiness but also better serve their patients.
For more details, Laurie R. Santos, PhD, MA, can be reached at [email protected].
Sources/Disclosures
Source: Healio Interviews
reference: santos L. The science of happiness: Practical strategies for lifestyle medicine practitioners. Presented at: Lifestyle Medicine Conference; Nov. 16-19, 2025; Dallas.
disclosures: Santos reports no relevant financial disclosures.
