What Actually Makes People Happy, According to Science
What Actually Makes People Happy, According to Science
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@rajchaudhari1107 Says:
This video is on health or happiness
@BrentKobayashi Says:
I have a statistics request. When saying stuff like "increases the risk by 27%" please please please give statistical context. Meaning, going from 1 in 10 chance to 1.27 in 10 chance is huge. Going from 1 in 1000000 to 1.27 in 1000000 not as huge.
@siempresonrie5924 Says:
Love is the key to happiness, more so than money.
@rtothec1234 Says:
Veritasium makes me happy. Then a good wank. They are not related though.
@ouch1011 Says:
At least in capitalist worlds, money enables people to do the things that can lead to happiness. Or maybe, more specifically, financial stability. If you are financially struggling to stay afloat, you probably will spend more time working, trying to get what you need to just get by. That means you have less time to spend with loved ones or doing the activities that lead to happiness. For me, I know that money and wealth wouldn't make me happy, but having enough money that myself and my partner would no longer need to work would enable us to spend more time together, more time with our families, more time traveling and seeing the world, and LESS time worrying about finances. That, I think is a major part of why so many people say that money would enable greater happiness, because our entire society revolves around us working to be able to support ourselves. All that time we spend working takes us away from the things that would actually make us happy, while also increasing our stress levels and making us less happy.
@yeshua5707 Says:
I’m not happy because I hate America
@sridhartn83 Says:
It's all in your brain and hormones, and a bit of an effort from you. If all hormones are in balance you will be happy and external factors if you have a healthy relationship, and enough money. We are in general puppet of our brain chemistry and hormones. If your system releases all in a proper and balanced way you will be happy and face any difficulties with ease and achieve what you need and also a bit of luck.
@laughtherapey Says:
it all comes down to how good looking you are.
@pobinr Says:
Please leave out the silly background music. I'm here for information not music
@ludicrousfunone5705 Says:
If you could do a follow up video with studies from neuro divergent experiences of like to see how that data plots against neuro typical people. That'd be interesting!
@juliahormayer7255 Says:
After watching: this makes sense, socialising and exercising are like the most natural things for me that don’t really require any special effort on my part, it’s more my friends becoming more and more busy and harder to meet as we get older that I really struggle with. I love socialising, I think I’m a good socialiser and I have amazing very well-picked friends but they’re buuuuusy 🥵😢 I’m surprised that work and doing something you’re passionate about isn’t mentioned because that’s something I (and a lot of people I know) care deeply about and I like to think is a big part of happiness but takes a lot more effort than socialising or exercising. I don’t mean “success” in the standard sense but just feeling a sense of fulfilment, self-expression and being challenged.
@juliahormayer7255 Says:
Before watching the video I would’ve answered this: - financial stability: not being rich but not having to worry about money, being able to afford some things, not being excluded from social activities because they’re too expensive - a job you like: this is in terms of the work you do but also in terms of the environment you’re in, that you get on with your coworkers, have fun, aren’t overly stressed about it and of course, that it leaves enough time and energy for life outside of work - a good social circle: close friends that live nearby and you can see regularly, of course it helps if you really like the people at work or live with people you get on either side very well And something I always tend to forget because I’m young and very fortunate to always have been healthy and fit: health
@bartcop2742 Says:
Fascinating video
@rafaelribasdetoni2276 Says:
awesome!
@timisa58 Says:
I have had a great life thus far. I am not married. Have two great kids. Raised by two very good or great parents. Traveled the world. Great girl friend. Financially comfortable. Have hobbies that are not related to my job. Active and healthy. Two things for me IS MONEY (FINANCIAL SECURITY) & my health. But all in all, many things contribute to happiness. But if there is one or two things that make it more difficult, MONEY definitely makes an enormous impact.
@Guy-z6o Says:
LIFE begets unhappiness. People who are alive WILL ALWAYS experience unhappiness. No baby arrives here laughing, they, (we), all arrive screaming and crying. These tears and screams continue into adolescence then adulthood ...all the way to death. The fortunate few, die at a very young age. The really fortunate ones are inconceivable. IN ADDITION, how many very old people are happy? With age comes disease and lowered insight.
@-svet-ka- Says:
And what is happiness? For myself I define it as the state of mind a person gets when reality matches their expectations. So, it has two components - your assessment of your current actual situation and the picture of how you want it to be. The closer the two are the happier you feel. So, I think that people who can realistically evaluate their expectations and look at the bright side of things are the happiest. Money and relationships, in my opinion, are valuable only because 1) both help you achieve your desired mental picture and solve your life problems (getting food, shelter, sex, procreation, etc), and 2) the society and culture often dictate how the picture of your successful life should look like. I believe that in a culture where money and social contacts are not considered an achievement and don't help satisfy basic human needs they would not be a factor of happiness. Whether or not such society be evolutionary successful is a separate question 😄
@Number-s9h Says:
The studies are limited to US people only, thus the studies are flawed when it looks at people as a whole. US culture is flawed and divergent from humanity as a whole. That is why the study exists. The single minded persute of money above all else(capitalism) is what is making you miserable and dead.
@anarchyantz1564 Says:
See this is the issue with all Americans. All they want is money and power over others.
@Number-s9h Says:
If memory is unreliable, why does the the police, the law and the government rely on it so much? I put it to you that that memory is reliable, but is suggestible by those who want to control the truth. No it didn't happen that way, it happened this way didn't it!
@Number-s9h Says:
This show that westerners are brought up to be indoctrinated with unsuccessful capitalist values! When asked a simple question that is not part of the programming, they can't answer. Not educated, just brain washed to be workers!
@JosiahWilmot-fg6cw Says:
At 12:52, a level of equilibrium for happiness is mentioned. I kind of wish this was discussed in more detail, getting into the hedonic treadmill, which I find to be particularly interesting in regards to happiness.
@josebejarano1660 Says:
This video undermines the value of a good relationship with the self. I believe it is a prerequisite to good external relationships.
@humans.from.earth. Says:
@20:46 All those studies and academics and none of them get close to the fundamental cause of happiness....but this man does.
@anonymususer1728 Says:
17:13 "people said they are proudest of being a good boss/parent/friend/mentor .. nobody talked about their fortune, or Nobel prize" Seriously ? You're gonna take that for granted ? It's called being modest. If people said money/Nobel prize, they would come off as assholes, or at the very least show offs. So because we know bragging is frowned up, we refrain from doing it. Let's keep it real, folks.
@metheuscane719 Says:
Well, I'm gonna die early and unhappy...
@vanesavasileva5518 Says:
Are you sure that men that are married live longer because they are married or women choose to marry men that have a longer life expectancy?
@Blurrybob Says:
Veritasium advertising an online therapy service in a video which summarizes the importance of relationships for happiness. The irony.
@SarahHirschkowitz Says:
I think the most impactful for me was when he said that even the people who won noble prizes said they were most proud of their relationships.
@GenX888 Says:
Isolation and loneliness are why trauma has such long term affects on not just the victims, but for society and generations.
@robinte98 Says:
For me, it depends on where you are in life. As of now I really work a lot and also work out every free second to lose weight. So what would make me happy the most is having more free time. I also feel quite limited by the money I have. I feel that I cannot follow my passions the way I really want to. I have concrete ideas that just never seem to get done. I really want to be in a different place with my life and I hope to get there sooner than later. I think relationships will also improve with more free time and having passions that you can share. And yes, money is a big enabler for almost anything in life. I hate it so much that I can't use my potential or even just enjoy my life until I make more money. And if I never get there it will all be wasted time and effort without any real payoff. I didn't have the privilege of rich parents and money always was a big issue. And that is what well of people will never understand. Being a few bad months away from poverty, but always tens of years away from the potential to earn enough to not needing to worry anymore.
@belcurve Says:
I think a big thing to remember here is that it's hard to define happiness, but easy to define worries and stressors. Money can get rid of a lot of those, so people qualify being happy as "getting rid of stuff that makes me unhappy/stressed/etc".
@Ashkan67 Says:
unsubscribed
@liam78587 Says:
6:49 hahah guess i'll die
@Queen1001N Says:
This reminds me of a story I heard. Two men were on a beach. One starts talking about all the things he’s going to do with the money he’ll earn in the future. The second man asks him what he’ll do after. The first replies, “Hmmm, probably spend a day at the beach enjoying the wind and ocean.” The second says, “Aren’t you doing that now?”
@pranav2055 Says:
20:19 😂😂😂
@patrickguerin2169 Says:
Firstly, Derek I want to say that I greatly enjoy and learn from your videos. The thoroughness and depth of your topics are a great help in keeping me sharp, even at 73. The 2nd part of my comment is trivial really. It's just a pet peeve. This show highlighted the pronunciation of the word 'data'. Your guest pronounced it as in 'day' 'ta' which is how I thought most scientists pronounced it. Whereas you pronounce it as in 'fat'. Certainly, there is no right way or wrong way. I just wish we all agreed on the same pronunciation.
@markkettner9246 Says:
Listen to Steve Jobs on money . Then you might change your mind on money making you happy
@TalhaKhan-071 Says:
23:00 Hope❣️
@lostquarz7139 Says:
Money = happiness. I understood that long time ago
@joshrodriguez9997 Says:
Yes to almost everything! But as someone who facing challenging health problems, when you correlate exercise with longevity and health, maybe it's healthier people who exercise more too. If it weren't for my increasing health problems that stand in the way of exercise, I would do more. Likewise, people who engage in relationships are more likely to be conscientious and caring. I didn't want to deny the effect of marriage or having someone help look after you, and someone you want to care for and be there for, I'm just saying that correlation is not, per se, causation. The findings are intuitive, but there are reasons people struggle with relationships and reasons people struggle with exercise that may be risk factors by themselves, independently predicting both less exercise and shorter life, or bad relationships and shorter life.
@Cat_Magic811 Says:
My job, social work , exhausts me socially. Some of it is fulfilling and enjoyable. But as an introvert, I find myself finding sanctuary in my time alone. Not lonely at all. Tho most of the condos I have aren't very fulfilling.
@radekjurasek4 Says:
Daily sex, twice the income and security. Married people have twice the income of a single person, it's a lot easier for married people to get a house and they can have daily sex compared to single people. I'm shocked that nobody mentioned sex and intimacy, as that's one of the biggest desires and natural needs of both men and women and that's why we see it in almost all advertising.
@anantadutta7506 Says:
Happiness is overrated, blissfulness or mind being in a state of tranquility is more important, even if you are say sad.
@moestietabarnak Says:
married man ? .. how about men living with a woman not married ?
@CorNigrum Says:
There is some survivor bias at work here. If you have financial difficulties, trying to get by and stress out for most of your life, especially as a man, it's going to be hard to have solid friendships and stable relationships. You can complain you didn't spend as much time with your loved ones as you would have wanted, but would you have had those high-quality relationships if you would not have been able to secure a reasonably comfortable life... Good relationships take time and effort, and it's probably a lot harder to have a lot of those if you spend most time in survival mode.
@SpydersByte Says:
9:29 wow what a title to have, "Minister of Loneliness", wonder how happy that chap is?
@thehylers1021 Says:
After completing the free course The Science of Well-being, my takeaway was how Time Affluence affects my happiness - having time to get to do the things that you enjoy or are meaningful to you. This insight changed my life.
@djikashmir998 Says:
Anyone here wants a friend ping me up !
@mrtobaki Says:
I really do just need money. I know how to use it for happiness. 🤷‍♂️

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