Spotlight on

The science of happiness with Dr. Laurie Santos

Share this page

Happiness is a state of being that science shows has a significant positive impact across virtually all aspects of mental and physical well-being. It’s also a skill you can cultivate and experience more of—when you learn how to apply the science of positive psychology.

In this exclusive session, Dr. Santos will discuss her key research findings on how behavioral change through positive psychology can help create a happier, more fulfilling life—and the actionable steps to take right now to get you there.

About Dr. Laurie Santos

Professor of Psychology, Head of Silliman College, Yale University

Dr. Laurie Santos is a cognitive scientist and Professor of Psychology at Yale University.  She is also Director of Yale's Comparative Cognition Laboratory, Director of Yale's Canine Cognition Lab, and Head of Yale's Silliman College. She has been a featured TED speaker and recognized by Popular Science as one of their "Brilliant Ten" young scientists and Time magazine as a "Leading Campus Celebrity."

In addition to work researching the evolutionary origins of the human mind by comparing the cognitive abilities of humans and non-human animals, Santos is also a renowned expert in the field of happiness research. In January 2018, her course titled "Psychology and the Good Life"—which focuses on identifying what makes us happy and how to create a fulfilling life—became the most popular course in Yale's history, with approximately one-fourth of Yale's undergraduates having enrolled. The course’s overwhelming popularity gave rise to Dr. Santos’s popular The Happiness Lab podcast and "The Science of Well-Being" online course.

Santos's scientific work has been published in journals such as Psychological Science, Animal Cognition, Developmental Science, Current Biology, Animal Behaviour and Cognition. Her scientific research has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Economist, Forbes, The New Yorker, New Scientist, National Wildlife, Smithsonian Magazine and Discover Magazine, as well as on National Public Radio and Nova. She is the editor (with Bruce Hood) of The Origins of Object Knowledge. She has been featured on Big Think and—with her colleagues Paul Bloom, Tamar Gendler and Joshua Knobe—she is a regular contributor to bloggingheads.tv’s Mind Report.

Dr. Laurie Santos is not affiliated with UBS Financial Services Inc. She is not endorsing UBS products or services.

UBS assumes otherwise that your participation at this event is in compliance with your organization’s policies and that any necessary internal notifications have been made by you. This presentation is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice or the basis for making any investment decisions. The views and opinions expressed may not be those of UBS Financial Services Inc. UBS Financial Services Inc. does not verify and does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented. For more information visit our website at ubs.com/workingwithus.

© UBS 2021. All rights reserved. The key symbol and UBS are among the registered and unregistered trademarks of UBS. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. IS2101910 (expires 4/30/22)