179. Finding Positive in Negative Emotions: Communication, Happiness & Wellbeing

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Think Fast Talk Smart

Communicating, Influence, Career Skills, Career, Business, Education, Leadership, Careers, Communication, Career Growth, Public Speaking, Language Learning, Improv

4.7 • 711 Ratings

🗓️ 21 January 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A double definition of happiness — and how to cultivate both parts.

The new year gives us an opportunity to reflect on who we are and who we want to be. As we set resolutions and prepare for evolutions, this special four-part series on communication, happiness, and well-being explores practical ways to enhance our lives through better communication, deeper connections, and more meaningful choices.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to happiness, but according to Laurie Santos, everyone needs the two key components of contentment and fulfillment — or as she puts it, being happy in your life and happy with your life.

“Being happy in your life [means] your life is filled with joy,” explains Santos, a Yale psychology professor and host of The Happiness Lab podcast. This felt sense of happiness — enjoying where we are, what we do, and who we’re with — is essential, but it’s not the only piece of the puzzle. Being happy with your life, she says, is the belief that “your life is going well. Being happy with your life gets closer to things like fulfillment and purpose.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Santos joins Matt Abrahams to explore how to cultivate both sides of her happiness equation, from building deeper connections with others to transforming the ways we communicate with ourselves.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/ThinkFast and get ten percent off your first month.

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Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:08) - Defining Happiness
(03:21) - The Role of Negative Emotions
(04:54) - Balancing Negative and Positive Emotions
(05:45) - Positive Communication
(07:18) - Improving Self-Talk
(09:50) - Deepening Conversations
(11:04) - Navigating Difficult Conversations
(12:39) - The Power of Gratitude
(15:15) - Technology and Wellbeing
(18:33) - The Final Three Questions
(22:35) - Conclusion

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I think of negative emotions as kind of like the engine light on our dashboard and our cars.
0:06.5	It's sort of a pain in the butt, but if you don't deal with that, then, you know, worse things are going to happen later when you're on the highway.
0:11.9	And negative emotions work the same way.
0:15.7	Hi, Matt here.
0:17.3	The new year gives all of us an opportunity to reflect and focus on who we are, who we want to
0:22.7	be, and our well-being. To help you chart your course and write your story, I'm excited to invite you
0:29.5	to our four-part mini-series on communication, happiness, and well-being sponsored by better help.
0:37.3	Every January brings us 365 blank pages waiting to be filled.
0:42.9	This year, maybe you're ready for a plot twist,
0:45.6	or maybe there's a part of your story you've been wanting to revise or explore further.
0:50.5	Think of therapy as your editorial partner,
0:53.8	helping you craft new chapters and create the meaningful story you deserve to live.
0:59.2	Therapists from BetterHelp can help you write your story.
1:03.0	I believe everyone should leverage the support of therapists and coaches.
1:07.9	Visit BetterHelp.com slash Think Fast to get 10% off your first month. That's
1:14.1	BetterHelp, h-elp.com slash think fast. How we communicate with others and ourselves has a direct
1:25.2	connection with our sense of well-being and happiness.
1:29.3	My name is Matt Abraham's and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of
1:34.4	Business. Welcome to Think Fast Talk Smunk, the podcast. Today I look forward to speaking with
1:41.6	Lori Santos. Lori is a professor of psychology at Yale University, where she teaches the highly popular
1:47.5	course, The Science of Well-Being.
1:50.5	She is also the host of the very instructive The Happiness Lab podcast.
	...

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