Psychologist Laurie Santos, a Yale professor and world leader in the science of happiness, has thoroughly investigated how social networks influence well-being and the perception of happiness.Santos emphasizes that the digital environment enhances constant comparison and can contribute to lower personal satisfaction.
“With social networks we give our brain many comparisons that make us feel bad,” the expert told La Tercera, where she also warned about the difficulty of escaping those reference points so present in online life.
Santos also addressed other aspects crucial to well-being, such as misconceptions about happiness, the impact of technology and phones on attention and sleep, cognitive biases, strategies to practice gratitude, the importance of social ties and the value of accepting negative emotions.
Regarding the role of social networks, Santos asserts that “social networks make everything worse” in terms of social comparison.Remember that this phenomenon is not entirely new, since in the 90s studies showed the impact of comparison on the self-esteem of those who looked at magazines, but it highlights that now the exposure is permanent.
“From a comparison point of view, social media makes everything worse. But I think it’s worth knowing that our comparison also ended up making us unhappier on traditional media,” he says.
All of these themes are developed from her experience as a teacher and communicator, as well as her work on “Psychology and the Good Life,” the most popular course in Yale history.
Laurie Santos identifies two fundamental biases that predispose people to feel less happy: hedonic adaptation and social comparison.The teacher explains that the human mind tends to quickly become accustomed to new circumstances, which leads to a constant desire for more.
Furthermore, the tendency to compare oneself with others is aggravated in the digital age.“We don’t usually think in absolute terms, we tend to think in relative terms, in relation to some point of comparison or reference,” says the specialist.
“You could put the magazine away, and it wouldn’t still be playing in your pocket… So I think what social media has done is expose these reference points in an extreme way all the time,” he says.
The difficulty of escaping these comparisons is one of the main challenges, since, according to the professor, “our brain tends to use any reference point we see.”
Santos recommends recognizing the effect that these images have on the mood and proposes strategies such as modifying the content of the feed and consciously observing one’s own emotions when using social networks.“That would go beyond using social media less; maybe just consciously observing how you feel afterwards,” he said.
The academic also warns about the impact of spending hours browsing social networks: “Social networks and technology in general make us less sociable in real life.”Santos points out that these devices, designed to connect, often achieve the opposite effect by distracting from face-to-face interactions.
In addition, he mentions the fragmenting effect on attention, citing psychologist Jonathan Haidt, and the negative impact on sleep, especially in young people.
Laurie Santos points out that many people believe that happiness depends on external factors such as money or professional success, when in reality it is more related to behavior and mentality.
According to the expert, it is a mistake to think that a happy life excludes negative emotions, since these are part of a full life and we must learn to regulate them instead of repressing them.
The phenomenon of hedonic adaptation and social comparison, deepened by the use of networks, means that many people never feel satisfied with what they have.Santos emphasizes that “we constantly crave new things” and that the tendency to constantly compare ourselves with others reduces the perception of well-being, even if we have objective achievements or resources.
For those looking to increase their happiness, Laurie Santos recommends an active focus on social connection and incorporating healthy habits.“I think you have to connect more socially in real life, and that means prioritizing it,” he says.
Practical suggestions include scheduling meetings with friends, practicing kindness, volunteering, and dedicating time or resources to others.Santos also highlights the importance of exercising gratitude and developing a mindset of presence, through meditation or recording in gratitude journals.
The expert warns against the mistake of becoming obsessed only with one’s own well-being and highlights that taking actions for the benefit of others generates greater satisfaction. “A trick that I usually suggest is that, whenever you think about giving yourself a gift, or a treat, ask yourself: ‘How could I include someone else in that?’” she pointed out.
