The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

We’re bringing you an episode of A Slight Change of Plans hosted by Dr. Maya Shankar -  the behavioral scientist who also happens to be a former student of Dr Laurie. Maya sits down with bestselling author and popular podcast host Mel Robbins [https://www.melrobbins.com/] to talk about letting go of perfectionism and people pleasing, and how to cope when you lose control of a situation. If you enjoy this episode, listen to A Slight Change of Plans  [https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/a-slight-change-of-plans]wherever you get your podcasts.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The happiness of young people has taken a big hit since the advent of the smartphone - and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt [https://jonathanhaidt.com/] argues that there is a direct link. He warns that allowing children easy access to the internet and social media adversely impacts their sleep, their self-esteem and even how their brains develop.   Jonathan explains the dangers he sees in letting kids use smartphones, while Jill Murphy of Common Sense Media [https://www.commonsensemedia.org/] suggests ways parents can navigate introducing tech into children's lives.  This series on parenting coincides with Dr Laurie's new free online class, The Science of Wellbeing for Parents which is available now at Coursera.org [https://www.coursera.org/]. You can sign up at drlauriesantos.com/parents [http://drlauriesantos.com/parents]. ---------------------------------------- Get ad-free episodes to The Happiness Lab by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm [https://www.pushkin.fm/join-pushkin]. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.  Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin [http://apple.co/pushkin] Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus [https://www.pushkin.fm/join-pushkin] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Why do kids do disruptive, annoying or maddening things? Usually when children behave badly, the first thing adults do is yell at them, tell them they're bad and dole out punishments. Developmental psychologist David Yeager [https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/faculty/yeagerds] says that's the wrong approach. Instead parents need work out why their child made bad decisions in the first place.    David is the author of the book 10 to 25 [https://www.amazon.com/10-Motivating-Groundbreaking-Generation-Educators/dp/1668023881]  and argues that we should work out what's at the root of bad behaviour in young people. Maybe they want to gain status with their peers, or crave more outlets to be social. Once adults work out these motivations, they can encourage their kids to find better ways to reach their goals without breaking the rules.    This series on parenting coincides with Dr Laurie's new free online class, The Science of Wellbeing for Parents which is available now at Coursera.org [https://www.coursera.org/]. You can sign up at drlauriesantos.com/parents [http://drlauriesantos.com/parents]. ---------------------------------------- Get ad-free episodes to The Happiness Lab by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm [https://www.pushkin.fm/join-pushkin]. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.  Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin [http://apple.co/pushkin] Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus [https://www.pushkin.fm/join-pushkin] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Clinical psychologist Dr Becky Kennedy [https://www.goodinside.com/] thinks every child is “good inside” even when they’re behaving badly. So to tackle tantrums or rule-breaking, she argues that parents must set clear boundaries for acceptable behaviour, but also seek to understand why their children are misbehaving.  If a child is acting "badly" because they are disappointed, sad, frustrated, jealous, or uncomfortable, then a parent's job is to help their kid deal with those feelings and build up more resilience to common emotions that they'll experience throughout life. Hear more of Dr Becky's parenting tips on her podcast Good Inside With Dr Becky [https://www.goodinside.com/podcast/] This series on parenting coincides with Dr Laurie's new free online class, The Science of Wellbeing for Parents which is available now at Coursera.org [https://www.coursera.org/]. You can sign up at drlauriesantos.com/parents [http://drlauriesantos.com/parents].   See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Nordic countries are known to be happy - so should we all raise our children like the Scandinavians do? British parent Helen Russell moved to Denmark and was shocked that Danish children play outside in all weathers; are given sharp tools and they're shown how to light matches. In her book The Danish Secret to Happy Kids: How the Viking Way of Raising Children Makes Them Happier, Healthier, and More Independent [https://www.helenrussell.co.uk/books/how-to-raise-a-viking/], Helen explains why play, risk and independence are the cornerstones of "viking" parenting.     This series on parenting coincides with Dr Laurie's new free online class, The Science of Wellbeing for Parents which is available now at Coursera.org [https://www.coursera.org/]. You can sign up at drlauriesantos.com/parents [http://drlauriesantos.com/parents]. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.