THE HAPPY SCIENCE PODCAST

In this fun episode, we explore why people tend to believe that their future will be happier and more meaningful than their past. But does that optimism extend to everyone – or only to ourselves and the people we like?  Tune in to discover what this reveals about hope, fairness, wishful thinking, and why realism may depend on whose future you’re imagining.Link to study: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.3164Host: Professor Micael Dahlen Guest: Professor Hallgeir Sjåstad Producer: Sandra Charléz Editor: Nicholas Nikander Sound Engineer: Christer Tjäder and Daniel Högberg Music: Viktor Bergdahl

In this fun episode, we explore whether happiness means the same thing in different languages. Can the language you speak actually change how happy you say you are? Tune in to discover why it may be easier to say you are happy in English than in Swedish, and what that could mean for global happiness surveys and rankings.Link to study: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00827-7Host: Professor Micael Dahlen Guest: Political scientist Sofia Axelsson Producer: Sandra Charléz Sound Engineer: Christer Tjäder and Daniel Högberg Music: Viktor Bergdahl

In this fun episode, we dig into a slightly uncomfortable question: what happens to our own happiness when we knowingly do something bad to others? We all know giving to charity feels good, but what about the opposite? Tune in to discover why doing good boosts happiness and meaning but doing harm does not always make us feel worse – especially when we find clever ways to justify it.Link to study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2021.104114 Host: Professor Micael Dahlen Guest: Assistant Professor Frank Martela Producer: Sandra CharlézEditor: Nicholas Nikander Sound Engineer: Christer Tjäder and Daniel Högberg Music: Viktor Bergdahl

In this fun episode, we explore whether an election in one country can shape happiness, optimism, and even trust in democracy in other countries. A study using data from over 20,000 people in nine European countries during the U.S.s presidential election 2024 gives the answer. Tune in to discover why political wins and losses can ripple across oceans, why democracy satisfaction may be more fragile than we think, and whether these emotional shifts also change how good citizens we are.Host: Professor Micael Dahlen Guest: Assistant Professor Jareef Martuza Producer: Sandra Charléz Editor: Nicholas Nikander Sound Engineer: Christer Tjäder och Daniel Högberg Music: Viktor BergdahlStudy:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00827-7

In this fun episode, we look at how our social lives, with everything from supportive relationships to breakups, impact our wellbeing. Is the pain of a breakup the same for everyone? Can relationships protect our happiness over time? And what does your DNA have to do with any of it? Professor Ragnhild Bang Nes of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health shares fascinating findings from a study of twins. Tune in to find out which social factors most strongly predict future happiness and how much of our social wellbeing might be shaped before we’re even born! Link to the study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11136-024-03832-8 Guest: Research Professor Ragnhild Bang Nes

In this fun episode, we dig into a surprisingly overlooked question: What exactly are people thinking about when they rate their happiness on global surveys? Is Finland really the happiest country in the world or just the best at climbing metaphorical ladders? Researcher August Nilsson joins us to explain how the metaphorical “Cantril Ladder” works and reveal how tiny tweaks in how we ask about happiness can dramatically change the answers we get. What happens if we ask about harmony in life instead? Or if we ditch the ladder metaphor altogether? Tune in for a deep dive into the psychology behind how we measure happiness and whether we're asking the right questions at all. Link to the study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-52939-y Guest: Researcher August Nilsson

In this fun episode, we ask whether city life is secretly dragging down our happiness. More people than ever are living in cities, but does urban life come at the cost of happiness? Associate Professor Jens Fyhn Lykke Sørensen from the University of Southern Denmark shares insights from his research on Denmark’s urban–rural happiness gap. From the power of green spaces to the strength of local friendships, we explore why rural residents often report greater life satisfaction, and what city dwellers might do to catch up. Could a palm tree on your balcony make a difference? Tune in and find out. Link to the study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384554929_Why_are_City_Residents_Less _Happy_than_the_Rest_of_the_Population_in_Developed_Countries_Studying_the_ Urban-Rural_Happiness_Gap_in_Denmark_Using_Blinder-Oaxaca_Decomposition Guest: Associate Professor Jens Fyhn Lykke Sørensen

In this fun episode, we explore how stressful life events like financial strain or relationship conflicts can affect your life satisfaction and whether these life events are just a matter of bad luck, or partly your parents’ fault? Professor Ragnhild Bang Nes of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health shares insights from a unique twin study that untangles life experiences from biology. Tune in to discover how genes and environment work together to shape how we feel, and why not all bad life events impacts us the same way! Link to the study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-025-07758-3 Guest: Research Professor Ragnhild Bang Nes

In this fun episode, we explore what happens when people hit the jackpot. Many of us often dream of the big win, but does life really change when it happens? Will wellbeing improve? Does the rush wear off or can the wellbeing be boosted for years, or even decades? Tune in to hear economist Robert Östling from the Stockholm School of Economics shares his insights from studying thousands of Swedish lottery players to see what really changes when money arrives out of the blue, and what stays surprisingly the same. Link to the study: https://www.nber.org/papers/w24667 Guest: Professor Robert Östling

Does happiness make you more attractive, or does being attractive make you happier? In this episode, we explore the intriguing connection between how we feel and how we’re perceived. Professor Delin Sun of Duke University has conducted a brain study to uncover the secrets behind happiness and how attractive we are to others. Which comes first—being happy or being desirable? Tune in to find out, and see if a smile really is your best asset!