Laurie Santos
Psychologist, Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Psychology at Yale University, and host of The Happiness Lab podcast, known for public-facing work on the science of happiness, well-being, human cognition, and science communication.
Rebuilding Trust in Science Requires Transparency, Accountability, and Public Presence
At the Aspen Ideas Festival, Jenn White, Laurie Santos, Mike Varshavski and Matthias Berninger examined why confidence in science has weakened even as science remains more trusted than many institutions. Their shared argument was that trust cannot be restored by asserting expertise more forcefully: scientists, doctors, universities and companies have to make evidence more visible, acknowledge past failures, show up where people seek information, and explain uncertainty and disagreement as part of the scientific method rather than a reason to dismiss it.
Joy Can Survive Uncertainty Without Turning Loss Into Gain
At a live taping of The Happiness Lab at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Kate Bowler, the Duke religious historian and author of Joyful, Anyway, argued that joy is not the payoff for suffering well or getting life under control. In conversation with Yale psychologist Laurie Santos, Bowler rejected the cultural pressure to turn loss into growth, gratitude or self-improvement, making the case that joy can survive alongside grief, uncertainty and unfinishedness precisely because it does not require denial.
Playful Connection, Not Passive Leisure, Makes Free Time Restorative
At the Aspen Ideas Festival, Catherine Price, Elizabeth Dunn, and Laurie Santos made the case that fun is not a frivolous reward for finishing serious work but a condition for sustaining it. Drawing on psychology and behavioral science, they argued that adults lose fun when overwork, phones, passive leisure, and performance pressure crowd out the playfulness, connection, and absorbed attention that make life feel energizing. Price defined fun as playful, connected flow; Dunn’s research added that social time, active leisure, and protected time affluence are central to a genuinely good day.