1 00:00:15,436 --> 00:00:22,396 Speaker 1: Pushkin. When you think of living in the big city 2 00:00:22,476 --> 00:00:24,476 Speaker 1: and what do you fear a size about. Is it 3 00:00:24,636 --> 00:00:28,236 Speaker 1: endless happy hours in Chica, cocktail bars or branch at 4 00:00:28,236 --> 00:00:33,196 Speaker 1: fancy restaurants, in invitations to gallery openings. It's possible that 5 00:00:33,276 --> 00:00:37,556 Speaker 1: Carrie Bradshaw haskewed a lot of our expectations, but also 6 00:00:37,676 --> 00:00:40,076 Speaker 1: brought into that fantasy of the city life and sex 7 00:00:40,116 --> 00:00:43,316 Speaker 1: in the city, but relocated to Britain. This is Helen Russell, 8 00:00:43,676 --> 00:00:46,996 Speaker 1: a fellow budding Carrie Bradshaw. I was living in working 9 00:00:47,116 --> 00:00:49,236 Speaker 1: in London for twelve years as a journalist. I was 10 00:00:49,396 --> 00:00:52,236 Speaker 1: editor of mary Clad UK and I had no intention 11 00:00:52,276 --> 00:00:55,396 Speaker 1: of leaving my busy city life until one day out 12 00:00:55,436 --> 00:00:58,116 Speaker 1: of bloom, my new husband came home and told me 13 00:00:58,156 --> 00:01:01,596 Speaker 1: he'd been offered his dream job working for Lego. The 14 00:01:01,716 --> 00:01:04,436 Speaker 1: problem was that the dream job was a rather long 15 00:01:04,476 --> 00:01:07,556 Speaker 1: way away. It wasn't just a few subway stops from 16 00:01:07,556 --> 00:01:11,156 Speaker 1: Helen's London apartment. The job offer required that the couple 17 00:01:11,236 --> 00:01:14,556 Speaker 1: pick up their lives and move to rural Denmark. We 18 00:01:14,596 --> 00:01:16,876 Speaker 1: couldn't have pointed out Denmark to you on a map 19 00:01:16,916 --> 00:01:19,716 Speaker 1: of Denmark. But as well as sort of feeling like 20 00:01:19,996 --> 00:01:23,076 Speaker 1: we were living this glossy, glamorous life. We were just 21 00:01:23,196 --> 00:01:26,916 Speaker 1: tired and stressed and burnt out. Helen wasn't exactly living 22 00:01:26,916 --> 00:01:29,956 Speaker 1: the sex in the city life. London was filled with 23 00:01:29,996 --> 00:01:33,436 Speaker 1: bustling clubs and bars and restaurants, but Helen wasn't getting 24 00:01:33,436 --> 00:01:35,876 Speaker 1: to enjoy them much. It felt like she and her 25 00:01:35,916 --> 00:01:39,876 Speaker 1: busy friends never had time to connect. Helen also kept 26 00:01:39,876 --> 00:01:43,596 Speaker 1: getting sick. She had recurrent headaches, She suffered from insomnia, 27 00:01:43,796 --> 00:01:46,236 Speaker 1: and self medicated with more white wine than she was 28 00:01:46,276 --> 00:01:50,316 Speaker 1: proud of. Despite her fantasies of an idealized London life, 29 00:01:50,716 --> 00:01:54,156 Speaker 1: she had to admit she wasn't all that happy. So 30 00:01:54,196 --> 00:01:56,956 Speaker 1: when this other life possibility was sort of dangled in 31 00:01:56,996 --> 00:02:01,556 Speaker 1: front of us, we were intrigued. But Denmark. As a 32 00:02:01,596 --> 00:02:04,756 Speaker 1: brit Helen didn't really know anything about Danish life. I 33 00:02:04,796 --> 00:02:07,036 Speaker 1: started researching and looking into it and learned that Denmark 34 00:02:07,076 --> 00:02:09,236 Speaker 1: had been voted the happiest country in the world and 35 00:02:09,356 --> 00:02:12,516 Speaker 1: studies going back to the nineteen seventies. Take, for example, 36 00:02:12,556 --> 00:02:16,356 Speaker 1: how Denmark did in the prestigious United Nations World Happiness Report. 37 00:02:16,996 --> 00:02:19,916 Speaker 1: The World Happiness Report began back in twenty twelve and 38 00:02:20,036 --> 00:02:22,676 Speaker 1: ranks over one hundred and fifty countries based on factors 39 00:02:22,716 --> 00:02:27,596 Speaker 1: like healthy life expectancy, livable incomes, trust, and generosity. In 40 00:02:27,596 --> 00:02:31,116 Speaker 1: the decades since the report started, Denmark has repeatedly topped 41 00:02:31,116 --> 00:02:34,596 Speaker 1: the happiness chart, which is pretty impressive. I mean the 42 00:02:34,676 --> 00:02:37,636 Speaker 1: United States. In the UK, where Helen lived, they never 43 00:02:37,676 --> 00:02:40,436 Speaker 1: made it into the top ten. And I became fascinated 44 00:02:40,476 --> 00:02:42,676 Speaker 1: by this. How had a tiny country of just five 45 00:02:42,716 --> 00:02:45,596 Speaker 1: point six million people managed to pull off the happiest 46 00:02:45,676 --> 00:02:49,156 Speaker 1: nation on Earth title? For a stress journalist like Helen, 47 00:02:49,236 --> 00:02:51,716 Speaker 1: the possibility of moving to the happiest country on the 48 00:02:51,756 --> 00:02:54,756 Speaker 1: planet sounded better than she initially thought, And I thought, well, 49 00:02:54,836 --> 00:02:59,316 Speaker 1: I can't get happier there where can I? Like Helen, 50 00:02:59,436 --> 00:03:02,396 Speaker 1: many of us have fantasized that a healthier, happier life 51 00:03:02,556 --> 00:03:05,156 Speaker 1: might be just around the corner if we could only 52 00:03:05,196 --> 00:03:08,036 Speaker 1: get away from our current environment, that if we just 53 00:03:08,196 --> 00:03:11,196 Speaker 1: up and moved somewhere greener or sunnier, or less traffic 54 00:03:11,236 --> 00:03:14,356 Speaker 1: filled or beachier, that we'd finally be able to drop 55 00:03:14,356 --> 00:03:17,396 Speaker 1: all the bs and live the good life. But is 56 00:03:17,436 --> 00:03:19,636 Speaker 1: the hope that a new place can fix everything just 57 00:03:19,796 --> 00:03:22,996 Speaker 1: a fantasy, or could being in a fresh spot actually 58 00:03:23,036 --> 00:03:26,476 Speaker 1: cause us to form healthier habits could a drastic decision 59 00:03:26,516 --> 00:03:28,836 Speaker 1: like Helen's to uproot your life and move to a 60 00:03:28,876 --> 00:03:32,356 Speaker 1: country you've never visited before make you magically eat better 61 00:03:32,476 --> 00:03:35,676 Speaker 1: and get fit and stay off social media? And if 62 00:03:35,716 --> 00:03:38,836 Speaker 1: a new environment can actually make you happier, should we 63 00:03:38,876 --> 00:03:41,756 Speaker 1: all start packing our bags pronto? Or are there ways 64 00:03:41,796 --> 00:03:44,516 Speaker 1: we can get the same happiness benefits that new surroundings 65 00:03:44,516 --> 00:03:50,036 Speaker 1: afford without the moving van. Our minds are constantly telling 66 00:03:50,116 --> 00:03:51,996 Speaker 1: us what to do to be happy. But what if 67 00:03:51,996 --> 00:03:54,596 Speaker 1: our minds are wrong? What if our minds are lying 68 00:03:54,636 --> 00:03:56,876 Speaker 1: to us, leading us away from what will really make 69 00:03:56,956 --> 00:04:00,076 Speaker 1: us happy. The good news is that understanding the science 70 00:04:00,076 --> 00:04:01,916 Speaker 1: of the mind can lead us all back in the 71 00:04:02,036 --> 00:04:05,316 Speaker 1: right direction. You're listening to the Happiness Lab. Would meet 72 00:04:05,516 --> 00:04:14,316 Speaker 1: doctor Laurie Santos at an age when you were off 73 00:04:14,436 --> 00:04:16,916 Speaker 1: Laurie doing useful and productive things with your lives. I 74 00:04:17,036 --> 00:04:21,396 Speaker 1: bicycled from Alaska, Argentina, around the world and across Africa. 75 00:04:21,476 --> 00:04:23,956 Speaker 1: But it turns out that was a very good foundation 76 00:04:24,156 --> 00:04:28,276 Speaker 1: for later career as an explorer. I'm chatting with Dan Butner, 77 00:04:28,476 --> 00:04:32,196 Speaker 1: an adventurer, a best selling author, a documentary filmmaker, a 78 00:04:32,276 --> 00:04:36,276 Speaker 1: national geographic expedition leader, and a triple world record holding 79 00:04:36,436 --> 00:04:41,636 Speaker 1: endurance cyclist and otherwise a professional truant. But Dan's favorite 80 00:04:41,636 --> 00:04:43,596 Speaker 1: thing to do is to figure out the solutions to 81 00:04:43,716 --> 00:04:47,556 Speaker 1: big scientific questions. He even founded a company that sends 82 00:04:47,556 --> 00:04:51,196 Speaker 1: out teams of experts to solve such puzzles. And every 83 00:04:51,236 --> 00:04:53,796 Speaker 1: year we were striking off somewhere in the world to 84 00:04:53,796 --> 00:04:56,876 Speaker 1: solve some mystery. So we were actively looking for mysteries 85 00:04:56,916 --> 00:05:00,236 Speaker 1: to solve. And in two thousand I came across a 86 00:05:00,316 --> 00:05:05,476 Speaker 1: World Health Organization report showing that this archipelago in Southeast 87 00:05:05,476 --> 00:05:09,476 Speaker 1: Asia add the longest disability free life expectancy in the world. 88 00:05:10,316 --> 00:05:13,876 Speaker 1: The surprising archipelago was in Japan, about a thousand miles 89 00:05:13,876 --> 00:05:18,476 Speaker 1: south of Tokyo. It's the Okinawan Islands. The residents of 90 00:05:18,476 --> 00:05:22,156 Speaker 1: Okinawa live a really long time. In two thousand, the 91 00:05:22,236 --> 00:05:25,956 Speaker 1: islands boasted three times more centenarians, that is, people who 92 00:05:25,996 --> 00:05:29,396 Speaker 1: live past a hundred years than North America. And the 93 00:05:29,436 --> 00:05:32,316 Speaker 1: islanders didn't just live for a long time, they remained 94 00:05:32,356 --> 00:05:37,236 Speaker 1: surprisingly healthy well into old age. Relative to Americans, older 95 00:05:37,236 --> 00:05:40,876 Speaker 1: Okinawans had four times fewer breast and prostate cancer diagnoses, 96 00:05:41,156 --> 00:05:43,916 Speaker 1: a five times lower rate of heart disease, and nearly 97 00:05:43,916 --> 00:05:46,796 Speaker 1: a third the ray of dementia. So why were the 98 00:05:46,876 --> 00:05:49,436 Speaker 1: residents of this chain of islands, often in the Pacific 99 00:05:49,436 --> 00:05:52,756 Speaker 1: Ocean living such long and healthy lives? I said, Aha, 100 00:05:53,076 --> 00:05:56,636 Speaker 1: Now that's a good mystery, and so Dan was on 101 00:05:56,676 --> 00:06:00,196 Speaker 1: the case. Working with National Geographic and the National Institute 102 00:06:00,196 --> 00:06:03,316 Speaker 1: of Aging. He assembled a team of demographers, doctors, and 103 00:06:03,396 --> 00:06:06,996 Speaker 1: scientists to travel to Okinawa. But the project got Dan 104 00:06:07,076 --> 00:06:09,436 Speaker 1: wondering whether there were other places in the world that 105 00:06:09,516 --> 00:06:14,276 Speaker 1: enjoyed similar longevity centenarian hotspots that hadn't yet been identified, 106 00:06:14,756 --> 00:06:16,996 Speaker 1: and if so, whether he could use what the residents 107 00:06:16,996 --> 00:06:20,236 Speaker 1: in those places were doing to reverse engineer the factors 108 00:06:20,276 --> 00:06:23,916 Speaker 1: that lead to a longer, healthier life. And thus was 109 00:06:24,036 --> 00:06:27,516 Speaker 1: born this whole idea of blue zones. Blue zones are 110 00:06:27,516 --> 00:06:29,996 Speaker 1: what Dan calls places on the planet where people are 111 00:06:30,036 --> 00:06:33,596 Speaker 1: statistically likelier to live healthily well past a hundred years. 112 00:06:34,196 --> 00:06:37,036 Speaker 1: Dan's team wound up identifying a few such blue zones, 113 00:06:37,476 --> 00:06:40,676 Speaker 1: like the island of Sardinia off of Italy, one small 114 00:06:40,676 --> 00:06:43,796 Speaker 1: peninsula of Costa Rica, and the town of Lomo Linda 115 00:06:43,876 --> 00:06:47,956 Speaker 1: and California, And despite being thousands of miles apart, Dan 116 00:06:48,036 --> 00:06:49,996 Speaker 1: found that the daily lives of the people living in 117 00:06:50,036 --> 00:06:54,596 Speaker 1: these longevity blue zones had some striking similarities. They mostly 118 00:06:54,876 --> 00:06:58,236 Speaker 1: a plant based, whole food diet. They did not exercise 119 00:06:58,316 --> 00:07:00,556 Speaker 1: in the way we think of exercise, but rather they 120 00:07:00,596 --> 00:07:03,596 Speaker 1: lived in environments where they were nudged into moving every 121 00:07:03,636 --> 00:07:06,436 Speaker 1: twenty minutes or so. They had strong social life, very 122 00:07:06,476 --> 00:07:10,796 Speaker 1: little loneliness. They had intentional social circles, they curated the 123 00:07:10,836 --> 00:07:13,996 Speaker 1: four or five people they surrounded themselves with, and they 124 00:07:14,036 --> 00:07:17,476 Speaker 1: had strategies to keep from overeating. As you might guess, 125 00:07:17,516 --> 00:07:20,476 Speaker 1: all of these tendencies are great strategies for avoiding disease. 126 00:07:21,116 --> 00:07:22,996 Speaker 1: They're the kinds of behaviors that we make New Year's 127 00:07:23,036 --> 00:07:26,756 Speaker 1: resolutions about, or that our doctors plead with us to prioritize. 128 00:07:27,236 --> 00:07:29,796 Speaker 1: But the blue zone dwellers didn't seem to be working 129 00:07:29,836 --> 00:07:33,756 Speaker 1: hard to achieve these healthy behaviors. The resident's biggest secret 130 00:07:33,956 --> 00:07:36,076 Speaker 1: was that they seemed to engage in all these positive 131 00:07:36,116 --> 00:07:39,356 Speaker 1: habits naturally. Dan found that the key to the blue 132 00:07:39,396 --> 00:07:44,956 Speaker 1: zone residents success was simply location, location, location. The real 133 00:07:45,036 --> 00:07:49,956 Speaker 1: aha here was that longevity seemed to ensue from the 134 00:07:50,036 --> 00:07:53,276 Speaker 1: right environment. In other words, these people had no special 135 00:07:53,316 --> 00:07:57,356 Speaker 1: discipline or no special regimen. They weren't conscious of their 136 00:07:57,356 --> 00:08:00,476 Speaker 1: behaviors and weren't trying to restrict them or amp up 137 00:08:00,636 --> 00:08:03,396 Speaker 1: their physical activity or diet or any of the things 138 00:08:03,436 --> 00:08:08,076 Speaker 1: we do to pursue health and longevity. It ensued, you 139 00:08:08,116 --> 00:08:09,876 Speaker 1: don't need to force yourself to get to the gym 140 00:08:09,956 --> 00:08:12,276 Speaker 1: when you've got start Indian hells to keep your cardio up, 141 00:08:12,716 --> 00:08:15,356 Speaker 1: and you don't need a meatless Monday when literally everyone 142 00:08:15,436 --> 00:08:17,756 Speaker 1: you know is eating a healthy, plant based diet, as 143 00:08:17,756 --> 00:08:21,556 Speaker 1: the Seventh Day Adventist community of Lomo, Linda does Dan's 144 00:08:21,596 --> 00:08:24,516 Speaker 1: Blue Zone Project had discovered that the key to longevity 145 00:08:24,556 --> 00:08:27,716 Speaker 1: is the environment and community we find ourselves. In his 146 00:08:27,876 --> 00:08:30,836 Speaker 1: book The Blue Zones, Lessons for Living Longer from the 147 00:08:30,836 --> 00:08:33,076 Speaker 1: people Who've lived the longest was a bit of a 148 00:08:33,076 --> 00:08:35,756 Speaker 1: shock to scholars who'd long invested in the idea of 149 00:08:35,876 --> 00:08:39,596 Speaker 1: personal improvement that we could each individually live longer no 150 00:08:39,636 --> 00:08:42,036 Speaker 1: matter where we are, if we just committed to the 151 00:08:42,116 --> 00:08:45,076 Speaker 1: right gym, workout, or healthy diet. That's right. I'm a 152 00:08:45,116 --> 00:08:48,276 Speaker 1: heredtic in that I think trying to modify behavior for 153 00:08:48,316 --> 00:08:51,876 Speaker 1: the long term is a bad investment. If you look 154 00:08:51,876 --> 00:08:55,876 Speaker 1: at the recidivism curves of diets and exercise programs. There's 155 00:08:55,876 --> 00:08:58,476 Speaker 1: some pretty good research that suggests they work for weeks 156 00:08:58,516 --> 00:09:00,756 Speaker 1: or months, but when you start looking out more than 157 00:09:00,796 --> 00:09:03,156 Speaker 1: a year, it's very hard to find anything that works 158 00:09:03,156 --> 00:09:06,036 Speaker 1: for more than single digit percentages of people that tried it. 159 00:09:06,116 --> 00:09:09,316 Speaker 1: So we live in a country where seventy percent or 160 00:09:09,356 --> 00:09:13,196 Speaker 1: a beast or overweight. We spend billions, hundreds of billions 161 00:09:13,236 --> 00:09:16,476 Speaker 1: of dollars a year on diets and exercise and supplements 162 00:09:16,476 --> 00:09:20,596 Speaker 1: and all these sort of proactive gimmicks and regimends, and 163 00:09:20,716 --> 00:09:24,716 Speaker 1: they've been on the aggregate and unmitigated failure. So I've 164 00:09:24,876 --> 00:09:28,996 Speaker 1: made my professional lights work focused on optimizing the environment. 165 00:09:29,156 --> 00:09:33,116 Speaker 1: Are surroundings, the equal system around us. But it's one 166 00:09:33,196 --> 00:09:36,676 Speaker 1: thing to optimize environments that promote a healthier life, should 167 00:09:36,716 --> 00:09:40,236 Speaker 1: we also be optimizing environments that promote feeling happier too. 168 00:09:40,876 --> 00:09:43,276 Speaker 1: I've found that people were really interested in living a 169 00:09:43,276 --> 00:09:46,036 Speaker 1: long time, but then you get to thinking, well, what's 170 00:09:46,036 --> 00:09:48,316 Speaker 1: a long life worth if you're not enjoying the journey? 171 00:09:48,636 --> 00:09:51,676 Speaker 1: So I got very interested in happiness. Dan began the 172 00:09:51,756 --> 00:09:54,516 Speaker 1: hunt for happiness hotspots, the places in the world that 173 00:09:54,596 --> 00:09:57,916 Speaker 1: ranked highest on four distinct aspects of well being. Lots 174 00:09:57,956 --> 00:10:02,276 Speaker 1: of instances of positive emotions, relatively few instances of negative emotions, 175 00:10:02,596 --> 00:10:05,596 Speaker 1: a high level of purpose, and a rich satisfaction with life. 176 00:10:06,316 --> 00:10:08,876 Speaker 1: The first spot on his happiness Blue Zones list, it 177 00:10:08,956 --> 00:10:12,116 Speaker 1: was Denmark, But the other two countries Dan identified we're 178 00:10:12,156 --> 00:10:15,756 Speaker 1: far from the Scandinavian nations that usually top happiness lists. 179 00:10:16,236 --> 00:10:19,516 Speaker 1: Costa Rica and Singapore both scored highly on Dan's scale. 180 00:10:20,116 --> 00:10:23,516 Speaker 1: When I first tried to write about Singapore for National Geographic, 181 00:10:23,556 --> 00:10:26,996 Speaker 1: the n editor rejected it because she didn't believe Singapore 182 00:10:26,996 --> 00:10:30,076 Speaker 1: could be a happy place. But the biggest surprise wasn't 183 00:10:30,116 --> 00:10:33,076 Speaker 1: where the happiness blue zones were. It was just how 184 00:10:33,156 --> 00:10:35,756 Speaker 1: much of a person's well being sprung from where they lived. 185 00:10:36,396 --> 00:10:39,476 Speaker 1: Something as a lucif his happiness could be determined by 186 00:10:39,476 --> 00:10:42,716 Speaker 1: the zip code you call home, His new happiness findings 187 00:10:42,716 --> 00:10:46,076 Speaker 1: mirrored exactly what Dan had learned about longevity. I look 188 00:10:46,116 --> 00:10:49,436 Speaker 1: at this pursuit of happiness a lot like a game 189 00:10:49,476 --> 00:10:52,876 Speaker 1: of black jack. You get to stack the deck. You 190 00:10:52,916 --> 00:10:55,156 Speaker 1: can have a deck full six and sevens, or you 191 00:10:55,196 --> 00:10:59,236 Speaker 1: can stack that deck with aces and jack's. And there's 192 00:10:59,316 --> 00:11:02,636 Speaker 1: now a big enough body of evidence that tells exactly 193 00:11:02,836 --> 00:11:05,276 Speaker 1: what those aces and jacks look like, and if you 194 00:11:05,316 --> 00:11:08,236 Speaker 1: want to get happier, don't waste your time changing your behavior, 195 00:11:08,356 --> 00:11:12,036 Speaker 1: change your surrounds. For someone who teaches a class promoting 196 00:11:12,076 --> 00:11:16,196 Speaker 1: individual positive psychology interventions, chatting with Dan was a wake 197 00:11:16,276 --> 00:11:19,196 Speaker 1: up call. It's not that the happiness strategies I share 198 00:11:19,196 --> 00:11:22,076 Speaker 1: with students don't work, it's just that you don't need 199 00:11:22,116 --> 00:11:24,756 Speaker 1: them if you live somewhere where those well being boosting 200 00:11:24,756 --> 00:11:27,636 Speaker 1: behaviors are just part of the shared culture. I just 201 00:11:27,716 --> 00:11:30,676 Speaker 1: think so many of the things that are marketed to us, 202 00:11:30,956 --> 00:11:34,276 Speaker 1: it just makes my eyes roll, all these apps and 203 00:11:34,476 --> 00:11:37,916 Speaker 1: coaches and there's just not good evidence. But there's great 204 00:11:37,916 --> 00:11:42,276 Speaker 1: evidence for the environmental factors that seem to be producing 205 00:11:42,516 --> 00:11:45,356 Speaker 1: higher levels of well being and experience happiness, and we 206 00:11:45,396 --> 00:11:47,756 Speaker 1: ought to be paying more attention to them and less 207 00:11:47,796 --> 00:11:50,876 Speaker 1: attention to the marketers. Dan thinks we ought to consider 208 00:11:50,916 --> 00:11:54,236 Speaker 1: the same drastic strategy that Sad London or Helen Russell chose. 209 00:11:54,716 --> 00:11:56,436 Speaker 1: If you're not living a happy life where you are, 210 00:11:56,876 --> 00:11:59,996 Speaker 1: then it might be time to move. People kind of 211 00:12:00,036 --> 00:12:02,316 Speaker 1: pooh pooh, this oh, I can't move. But actually, if 212 00:12:02,316 --> 00:12:05,196 Speaker 1: you look at census data, the average American moves ten 213 00:12:05,236 --> 00:12:08,556 Speaker 1: to eleven times after age eighteen every time they move 214 00:12:08,676 --> 00:12:12,196 Speaker 1: or provide, it's another opportunity to pick a neighborhood that 215 00:12:12,236 --> 00:12:16,436 Speaker 1: will produce higher levels of happiness. Helen had picked what 216 00:12:16,476 --> 00:12:19,076 Speaker 1: many say is the most happiness inducing place on Earth 217 00:12:19,116 --> 00:12:21,956 Speaker 1: as her new home, but she quickly learned that swapping 218 00:12:21,956 --> 00:12:25,676 Speaker 1: a great metropolis for the unfamiliar Danish countryside might not 219 00:12:25,916 --> 00:12:29,316 Speaker 1: immediately be a perfect recipe for joy. We moved to 220 00:12:29,396 --> 00:12:31,636 Speaker 1: Denmark in the middle of winter, and I didn't know anyone. 221 00:12:31,756 --> 00:12:34,116 Speaker 1: I didn't speak the language. We had no friends, no family. 222 00:12:34,236 --> 00:12:36,836 Speaker 1: Then I certainly worried to begin with that I'd made 223 00:12:36,836 --> 00:12:39,996 Speaker 1: the biggest mistake of my life. The happiness lab will 224 00:12:40,036 --> 00:12:50,716 Speaker 1: be right back. I thought maybe I could give it 225 00:12:50,836 --> 00:12:53,356 Speaker 1: a year. I told him this year of seeing if 226 00:12:53,436 --> 00:12:55,796 Speaker 1: I could learn what it was that Danes did differently 227 00:12:56,036 --> 00:12:59,876 Speaker 1: and change my life as a result. When Helen Russell's 228 00:12:59,956 --> 00:13:02,636 Speaker 1: husband was offered his dream job at the birthplace of Lego, 229 00:13:02,996 --> 00:13:05,796 Speaker 1: the tiny town of bill It in rural Denmark, she 230 00:13:05,956 --> 00:13:07,796 Speaker 1: was excited to find out what it'd be like to 231 00:13:07,836 --> 00:13:10,836 Speaker 1: live in one of the world's east countries. So I 232 00:13:10,956 --> 00:13:14,756 Speaker 1: quit my job and people said terms like career suicide. 233 00:13:14,956 --> 00:13:17,316 Speaker 1: But yeah, we packed all of our belongings into one 234 00:13:17,396 --> 00:13:19,556 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty two boxes and shipped them across the 235 00:13:19,676 --> 00:13:23,436 Speaker 1: North Sea. Helen's happiness quest didn't get after the best start. 236 00:13:23,836 --> 00:13:26,716 Speaker 1: She arrived in the dead of a snowy Scandinavian winter. 237 00:13:27,276 --> 00:13:30,596 Speaker 1: It was the coldest I have ever been. You know. 238 00:13:30,636 --> 00:13:32,716 Speaker 1: I came from the city, so there's always that nice 239 00:13:32,756 --> 00:13:36,156 Speaker 1: insulating layer of smog, and you're always dashing between buildings, 240 00:13:36,196 --> 00:13:38,476 Speaker 1: so you never get that kind of cold to your bones. 241 00:13:38,716 --> 00:13:42,596 Speaker 1: And also I came from working in glossy fashion world magazines, 242 00:13:42,836 --> 00:13:45,316 Speaker 1: so I didn't have any practical clothes at all. I 243 00:13:45,356 --> 00:13:48,476 Speaker 1: was soaked my core from the near constant rain. The 244 00:13:48,516 --> 00:13:51,836 Speaker 1: sky was perpetually slate gray, and it was just freezing. 245 00:13:51,836 --> 00:13:53,916 Speaker 1: It was so cold at first winter that the Fiord 246 00:13:54,036 --> 00:13:56,996 Speaker 1: Froze was just like something out of the beginning of 247 00:13:56,996 --> 00:13:59,956 Speaker 1: a film before things go very badly wrong. But as 248 00:13:59,956 --> 00:14:01,836 Speaker 1: a writer, she figured she could at least get a 249 00:14:01,836 --> 00:14:04,636 Speaker 1: good story out of it, so Helen decided to chronicle 250 00:14:04,636 --> 00:14:07,716 Speaker 1: her experience in a memoir entitled The Year of Living 251 00:14:07,796 --> 00:14:11,876 Speaker 1: Danishly and the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country. As 252 00:14:11,876 --> 00:14:14,436 Speaker 1: she dove into the book, she came to admire Danish 253 00:14:14,476 --> 00:14:17,436 Speaker 1: culture more and more. It was just a very very 254 00:14:17,476 --> 00:14:21,676 Speaker 1: different way of life. I had to completely reassess my priorities. Take, 255 00:14:21,716 --> 00:14:24,996 Speaker 1: for example, the importance of free time. You've probably heard 256 00:14:25,036 --> 00:14:28,236 Speaker 1: me talk about the concept of time affluence, that subjective 257 00:14:28,276 --> 00:14:31,196 Speaker 1: sense that you have the free time you need. Countless 258 00:14:31,196 --> 00:14:34,156 Speaker 1: studies show that feeling famished for time is a recipe 259 00:14:34,156 --> 00:14:36,836 Speaker 1: for reduced well being, and this is something that Danes 260 00:14:36,916 --> 00:14:39,836 Speaker 1: try to avoid at all costs. So I think in 261 00:14:40,156 --> 00:14:42,756 Speaker 1: the UK and the US we have fought for more money, 262 00:14:42,956 --> 00:14:46,436 Speaker 1: whereas in Scandinavia they have fought for time. In Denmark, 263 00:14:46,556 --> 00:14:48,676 Speaker 1: the official working week is thirty seven hours, but the 264 00:14:48,716 --> 00:14:51,236 Speaker 1: average Dane is only putting in. I discovered thirty three 265 00:14:51,316 --> 00:14:53,636 Speaker 1: hours a week, so far fewer than I was used 266 00:14:53,676 --> 00:14:57,276 Speaker 1: to back home for Helen workweeks that short took a 267 00:14:57,316 --> 00:15:00,916 Speaker 1: while to get used to. Coming from London and having 268 00:15:00,956 --> 00:15:02,956 Speaker 1: grown up in Margaret that she's Britain, you know. In 269 00:15:03,036 --> 00:15:05,716 Speaker 1: Ronald Reagan era, I was very much of the mindset 270 00:15:05,756 --> 00:15:08,636 Speaker 1: that all this is great for these little mystical Scandinavians, 271 00:15:08,636 --> 00:15:11,156 Speaker 1: but product ativity can't be very high. I presumed that 272 00:15:11,196 --> 00:15:13,396 Speaker 1: this made Dane's vasset slackers, but no. In fact, a 273 00:15:13,476 --> 00:15:16,156 Speaker 1: study from Warwick University shows that workers are twelve percent 274 00:15:16,196 --> 00:15:18,636 Speaker 1: more productive when they're in a more positive frame of mind. 275 00:15:18,756 --> 00:15:21,236 Speaker 1: Denmark has the happiest workforce in the world and as 276 00:15:21,276 --> 00:15:24,036 Speaker 1: a result is the second most productive country in the EU. 277 00:15:24,196 --> 00:15:27,516 Speaker 1: So they are working less, but they're getting more done. 278 00:15:28,076 --> 00:15:31,196 Speaker 1: Many companies in the US have a need those of presentism. 279 00:15:31,276 --> 00:15:33,516 Speaker 1: There's an expectation that the bars will be thrilled to 280 00:15:33,556 --> 00:15:36,756 Speaker 1: see you in the office working well, passed closing time well. 281 00:15:36,956 --> 00:15:39,756 Speaker 1: In Denmark, the opposite is true. I heard of a 282 00:15:39,796 --> 00:15:41,796 Speaker 1: colleague who was still at their desk at around seven 283 00:15:41,836 --> 00:15:45,556 Speaker 1: pm and got given a lecture about time management and 284 00:15:45,596 --> 00:15:48,556 Speaker 1: a leafless about efficiency. There's this assumption that you should 285 00:15:48,596 --> 00:15:50,636 Speaker 1: be able to get your work done within the working day. 286 00:15:51,196 --> 00:15:53,996 Speaker 1: Danes also think very differently about how to balance your 287 00:15:53,996 --> 00:15:57,156 Speaker 1: career and family life. There's this assumption that family comes 288 00:15:57,156 --> 00:16:00,116 Speaker 1: first before your work. So it's perfectly acceptable for both 289 00:16:00,116 --> 00:16:03,156 Speaker 1: men and women to leave a meeting at say four pm, 290 00:16:03,236 --> 00:16:04,676 Speaker 1: because they have to go and pick up their kid 291 00:16:04,716 --> 00:16:08,396 Speaker 1: from daycare and then make dinner. It's perfectly normal to 292 00:16:08,476 --> 00:16:12,556 Speaker 1: expect balance of work life and home life, and everybody 293 00:16:12,596 --> 00:16:15,876 Speaker 1: does it. But it's not just family that takes precedence. 294 00:16:16,396 --> 00:16:19,836 Speaker 1: Dane's value all forms of social connection. There's this idea 295 00:16:19,876 --> 00:16:22,276 Speaker 1: that stopping together to have a cup of coffee and 296 00:16:22,876 --> 00:16:25,676 Speaker 1: a chat is valued. It's not just a frippery, it's 297 00:16:25,676 --> 00:16:29,356 Speaker 1: an integral part of life. And with their extra free time, 298 00:16:29,756 --> 00:16:32,356 Speaker 1: Danes also have the bandwidth to invest in hobbies. The 299 00:16:32,396 --> 00:16:34,836 Speaker 1: average Dane is a member of two point eight clubs 300 00:16:34,876 --> 00:16:37,956 Speaker 1: I discovered, and this will range from everything from rollerblading 301 00:16:37,996 --> 00:16:41,516 Speaker 1: to running club or cycling. And because people aren't so 302 00:16:41,636 --> 00:16:45,116 Speaker 1: defined by their work status in Denmark, the club aspect 303 00:16:45,156 --> 00:16:47,436 Speaker 1: becomes really important as well, because it could be that 304 00:16:47,596 --> 00:16:50,676 Speaker 1: Olas he's a cyclist rather than O Lars is a CEO. 305 00:16:50,956 --> 00:16:53,116 Speaker 1: You are what you care about, what you love, rather 306 00:16:53,196 --> 00:16:57,596 Speaker 1: than your job title. Club culture keeps Dan's physically active 307 00:16:57,636 --> 00:17:01,356 Speaker 1: and socially connected, but it also encourages Dans to prioritize 308 00:17:01,396 --> 00:17:05,356 Speaker 1: something else we know as critical for happiness and stress reduction. Play. 309 00:17:05,796 --> 00:17:07,356 Speaker 1: And it should be no surprise in the country of 310 00:17:07,436 --> 00:17:10,436 Speaker 1: Lego and Hands Christine Anderson, but play is considered a 311 00:17:10,436 --> 00:17:14,476 Speaker 1: worthwhile occupation at any age, experiencing lots of playful connection 312 00:17:14,556 --> 00:17:17,556 Speaker 1: with the people they care about It's also how Scandinavians 313 00:17:17,596 --> 00:17:20,276 Speaker 1: make it through the coldest, darkest months of the year. 314 00:17:20,916 --> 00:17:23,956 Speaker 1: So the Danish winter is not something to be trifled with. 315 00:17:23,996 --> 00:17:27,356 Speaker 1: It reliably lasts from around October to March, and to 316 00:17:27,436 --> 00:17:31,036 Speaker 1: get through that you do need some coping strategies. And 317 00:17:31,076 --> 00:17:33,956 Speaker 1: I think the Danish huga, this word that has become 318 00:17:34,076 --> 00:17:36,276 Speaker 1: known around the world in recent years, is this idea 319 00:17:36,356 --> 00:17:40,116 Speaker 1: of having a warm, cozy time with people that you 320 00:17:40,196 --> 00:17:43,156 Speaker 1: care about, often with cake or coffee or beer involved, 321 00:17:43,276 --> 00:17:47,676 Speaker 1: and it's really about togetherness. This concept of huga is 322 00:17:47,716 --> 00:17:51,116 Speaker 1: deeply woven into all parts of Danish society. You hear 323 00:17:51,156 --> 00:17:53,676 Speaker 1: the term used in every second sentence that a Dane 324 00:17:53,676 --> 00:17:56,116 Speaker 1: will say. They'll say tech phone, hugli tea, thank you 325 00:17:56,116 --> 00:17:59,276 Speaker 1: for a huga time. And when I first started writing 326 00:17:59,276 --> 00:18:02,476 Speaker 1: about huga, many Danes were perplexed. They just couldn't understand 327 00:18:02,476 --> 00:18:04,916 Speaker 1: why this was of interest, or that other countries might 328 00:18:04,956 --> 00:18:08,556 Speaker 1: not have an equivalent. These days, you see Huger talked 329 00:18:08,556 --> 00:18:12,756 Speaker 1: about everyone in Instagram posts and magazine articles about self care. 330 00:18:13,116 --> 00:18:16,596 Speaker 1: But Helen worries the americanized version is missing many of 331 00:18:16,596 --> 00:18:19,156 Speaker 1: the critical elements. I think around the world, it's been 332 00:18:19,196 --> 00:18:21,276 Speaker 1: co opted for commercial gain a little bit. You see 333 00:18:21,356 --> 00:18:24,956 Speaker 1: huga candles or Huga blankets. It shouldn't cost anything. Unlike 334 00:18:24,956 --> 00:18:27,876 Speaker 1: trendy Americans, the Danes don't spend their time trying to 335 00:18:27,876 --> 00:18:31,396 Speaker 1: out hugo one another. In fact, the very idea of 336 00:18:31,436 --> 00:18:35,396 Speaker 1: social comparison works differently in Denmark. I think in Denmark 337 00:18:35,436 --> 00:18:38,036 Speaker 1: there is something called Yante's law, but the main tenets 338 00:18:38,076 --> 00:18:39,796 Speaker 1: I guess is that you're not to think you're special, 339 00:18:39,836 --> 00:18:41,836 Speaker 1: You're not to think you're better than anyone else. And 340 00:18:42,036 --> 00:18:44,036 Speaker 1: this sort of runs like a red thread through all 341 00:18:44,196 --> 00:18:47,236 Speaker 1: areas of Scandinavian life, and in Denmark in particular, So 342 00:18:47,516 --> 00:18:50,716 Speaker 1: showing off or being too flashy is very much round 343 00:18:50,796 --> 00:18:54,836 Speaker 1: on the Jante's law ethos don't imagine you're better than 344 00:18:54,876 --> 00:18:57,916 Speaker 1: other people. Fits well with the fact that inequality is 345 00:18:57,956 --> 00:19:00,476 Speaker 1: so much of a thing in Denmark, which is also 346 00:19:00,516 --> 00:19:04,516 Speaker 1: important for happiness, as research shows that unequal societies tend 347 00:19:04,596 --> 00:19:08,716 Speaker 1: to be unhappier and less cohesive. Inequality even makes it 348 00:19:08,796 --> 00:19:11,516 Speaker 1: harder for you to trust your fellow citizens, and the 349 00:19:11,596 --> 00:19:17,076 Speaker 1: Danes are amazingly trusting. Take for example, Danish childcare. You 350 00:19:17,156 --> 00:19:21,476 Speaker 1: see all these enormous Mary Poppins esque prams outside coffee 351 00:19:21,516 --> 00:19:24,756 Speaker 1: shops and there are babies in them asleep. And this 352 00:19:24,796 --> 00:19:27,556 Speaker 1: is because Danes trust each other so much they're happy 353 00:19:27,596 --> 00:19:31,036 Speaker 1: to let their babies sleep outside. That's right. Danish mothers 354 00:19:31,076 --> 00:19:34,716 Speaker 1: are totally cool leaving their babies on the street, completely unprotected, 355 00:19:35,276 --> 00:19:38,156 Speaker 1: where any freak could just show up and snatch them away. 356 00:19:38,956 --> 00:19:42,236 Speaker 1: But infant snatching isn't something that trusting Danes spend much 357 00:19:42,236 --> 00:19:45,676 Speaker 1: time worrying about. Helen says. There's even a common national 358 00:19:45,756 --> 00:19:49,356 Speaker 1: saying nobody steals babies in Denmark. This is because seventy 359 00:19:49,436 --> 00:19:52,116 Speaker 1: nine percent of Danes trust most people, a statistic I 360 00:19:52,156 --> 00:19:54,596 Speaker 1: found extraordinary. I don't trust seventy nine percent of my 361 00:19:54,636 --> 00:19:58,276 Speaker 1: immediate family in London. Helen would probably get reported to 362 00:19:58,276 --> 00:20:01,036 Speaker 1: the police or social services if she abandoned her babies 363 00:20:01,076 --> 00:20:03,956 Speaker 1: on the street. I wonder now that she had become 364 00:20:03,956 --> 00:20:06,476 Speaker 1: a mother of twins herself, if she'd picked up on 365 00:20:06,476 --> 00:20:09,796 Speaker 1: this Danish habit of trusting strangers. Did start leaving your 366 00:20:09,796 --> 00:20:12,836 Speaker 1: pram outside with the twins and things? I did? Yes, 367 00:20:12,916 --> 00:20:16,196 Speaker 1: I mean honestly terrifying to start with. And a twin stroller. 368 00:20:16,316 --> 00:20:18,996 Speaker 1: I mean you're not getting that through any doors, So yes, 369 00:20:19,036 --> 00:20:22,156 Speaker 1: I left it outside in the cold, and they are 370 00:20:22,396 --> 00:20:24,676 Speaker 1: healthy and have some good lungs on them, so yeah, 371 00:20:25,036 --> 00:20:27,716 Speaker 1: I am a fan of that. Now Helen's now a 372 00:20:27,716 --> 00:20:30,636 Speaker 1: fan of lots of Danish customs, which fits with what 373 00:20:30,676 --> 00:20:34,316 Speaker 1: the science shows. There's evidence that simply by moving to Denmark, 374 00:20:34,596 --> 00:20:37,036 Speaker 1: Helen probably couldn't help but absorb the ways of her 375 00:20:37,076 --> 00:20:39,916 Speaker 1: new home. Studies have shown that people arriving from low 376 00:20:39,956 --> 00:20:43,556 Speaker 1: trust countries quite swiftly within just a few years, end 377 00:20:43,636 --> 00:20:46,476 Speaker 1: up taking on the Danish levels of trust, which I 378 00:20:46,516 --> 00:20:49,916 Speaker 1: found fascinating. But it's the same also true for happiness. 379 00:20:50,516 --> 00:20:53,916 Speaker 1: Researchers at the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia studied 380 00:20:53,956 --> 00:20:56,396 Speaker 1: what happens to immigrants when they moved to a happier nation, 381 00:20:56,836 --> 00:21:00,716 Speaker 1: like going from the UK to Denmark. According to Dan Butner, 382 00:21:00,916 --> 00:21:05,636 Speaker 1: the results were striking. Within one year they start reporting 383 00:21:05,756 --> 00:21:08,756 Speaker 1: the happiness level of their adoptive home, which in some 384 00:21:08,796 --> 00:21:11,476 Speaker 1: place just can mean almost a doubling of their level 385 00:21:11,476 --> 00:21:16,116 Speaker 1: of happiness. So there's no positive psychology intervention that's anywhere 386 00:21:16,196 --> 00:21:19,556 Speaker 1: near as powerful as that. By immersing herself and the 387 00:21:19,596 --> 00:21:23,196 Speaker 1: happiness inducing Danish lifestyle, Helen hardly had to think about 388 00:21:23,196 --> 00:21:26,556 Speaker 1: altering her own behaviors. She didn't decide to reduce her 389 00:21:26,556 --> 00:21:29,836 Speaker 1: work week or prioritize socializing. She just had to go 390 00:21:29,876 --> 00:21:33,036 Speaker 1: with the flow and reap the happiness benefits. And she 391 00:21:33,076 --> 00:21:36,196 Speaker 1: didn't stay in Denmark just for that trial year. Her 392 00:21:36,236 --> 00:21:39,076 Speaker 1: family found real happiness there, so they made it their 393 00:21:39,076 --> 00:21:42,396 Speaker 1: permanent home. When we talked over Zoom, she was still 394 00:21:42,436 --> 00:21:44,876 Speaker 1: sitting in the same home she'd found that cold winter 395 00:21:45,036 --> 00:21:48,476 Speaker 1: over a decade ago, which looked very stylish and hugo 396 00:21:48,596 --> 00:21:52,036 Speaker 1: to me. I mean, don't judge my background here, but 397 00:21:52,396 --> 00:21:56,036 Speaker 1: it looks very Danish to me, honestly. But yeah, but 398 00:21:56,276 --> 00:21:59,036 Speaker 1: what does Helen's success mean for those of us horrified 399 00:21:59,076 --> 00:22:01,916 Speaker 1: by the prospect of a Danish winter who can't move 400 00:22:01,956 --> 00:22:05,636 Speaker 1: across the world to a happiness hotspot anytime soon? When 401 00:22:05,636 --> 00:22:07,636 Speaker 1: we get back from the break, we'll meet someone who 402 00:22:07,716 --> 00:22:10,156 Speaker 1: argues that we don't need to pack our bags. If 403 00:22:10,196 --> 00:22:12,396 Speaker 1: we're committed to changing the home we have now for 404 00:22:12,476 --> 00:22:15,636 Speaker 1: the better, the happiness lab will return in a moment. 405 00:22:24,476 --> 00:22:27,116 Speaker 1: Visitors to Paris are often delighted by the food or 406 00:22:27,196 --> 00:22:31,556 Speaker 1: mesmerized by the grand architecture it. Consultant and lifelong Texan 407 00:22:31,716 --> 00:22:35,076 Speaker 1: Jason Roberts was struck by something else. These little small 408 00:22:35,196 --> 00:22:37,796 Speaker 1: shops and the little bakers, and the cafes, and the 409 00:22:37,916 --> 00:22:41,196 Speaker 1: string lights, and the and the fruit and vegetable stands, 410 00:22:41,356 --> 00:22:44,836 Speaker 1: and young people and old people, and the bicycle infrastructure 411 00:22:44,836 --> 00:22:48,996 Speaker 1: of people riding bikes everywhere. Jason's European honeymoon was an 412 00:22:49,036 --> 00:22:53,756 Speaker 1: eye opening experience. I would see, you know, ladies that 413 00:22:53,796 --> 00:22:55,996 Speaker 1: were like in their seventies or eighties, and they'd have 414 00:22:56,036 --> 00:22:58,036 Speaker 1: a bicycle, and they'd have a baggett sticking out the 415 00:22:58,036 --> 00:23:00,316 Speaker 1: back and then puppy in the front, and so just 416 00:23:00,396 --> 00:23:05,196 Speaker 1: that idea of traversing through space seemed so beautiful and 417 00:23:05,276 --> 00:23:09,756 Speaker 1: so life affirming. It was also different from Jason's back home. 418 00:23:10,156 --> 00:23:12,836 Speaker 1: Everyone was out in the streets. The streets were alive 419 00:23:12,956 --> 00:23:15,676 Speaker 1: and just the opposite of what I saw where I 420 00:23:15,716 --> 00:23:19,436 Speaker 1: lived in Dallas. Jason City had miles and miles of 421 00:23:19,476 --> 00:23:22,676 Speaker 1: hideous strip malls. Bikes weren't a possibility on the huge, 422 00:23:22,756 --> 00:23:25,476 Speaker 1: multi laned concrete freeways that he drove on to get 423 00:23:25,476 --> 00:23:29,196 Speaker 1: to his windowless I office. Shopping for groceries back home 424 00:23:29,316 --> 00:23:33,116 Speaker 1: didn't involve smiling elderly ladies with baguettes, chatting and enjoying 425 00:23:33,116 --> 00:23:37,756 Speaker 1: the sun a tiny fruit stands. Eventually the honeymoon ended, 426 00:23:38,316 --> 00:23:40,796 Speaker 1: Jason flew home and went back to work in his lonely, 427 00:23:40,916 --> 00:23:43,996 Speaker 1: cinder blocky office, but he couldn't stop thinking about the 428 00:23:44,036 --> 00:23:46,916 Speaker 1: lifestyle he witnessed back in Europe. I was frustrated with 429 00:23:46,916 --> 00:23:49,876 Speaker 1: the idea that we'll spend fifty weeks out of our 430 00:23:49,876 --> 00:23:53,036 Speaker 1: lives working and they will spend two weeks flying to 431 00:23:53,076 --> 00:23:56,396 Speaker 1: go somewhere we would rather be, you know, So I thought, well, 432 00:23:56,396 --> 00:23:58,276 Speaker 1: how do you transform that and flip that on his 433 00:23:58,316 --> 00:24:00,316 Speaker 1: head and they maybe make it to where, you know, 434 00:24:00,436 --> 00:24:02,996 Speaker 1: the place that you are is the place you want 435 00:24:02,996 --> 00:24:05,716 Speaker 1: to be at all times. Jason had just moved to 436 00:24:05,716 --> 00:24:08,956 Speaker 1: the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. The area was unloved, 437 00:24:09,156 --> 00:24:11,916 Speaker 1: shabby looking, not the sort of place you'd happily hang 438 00:24:11,916 --> 00:24:14,876 Speaker 1: out in, you know, empty buildings and boarded up here 439 00:24:14,956 --> 00:24:17,636 Speaker 1: and broken lights. And I'm trying to figure out, well, 440 00:24:17,636 --> 00:24:20,236 Speaker 1: where do you start on something like that? And I 441 00:24:20,236 --> 00:24:22,196 Speaker 1: think that's where a lot of us begin. We look 442 00:24:22,236 --> 00:24:24,316 Speaker 1: and we're like, well, you know, I don't have the money. 443 00:24:24,596 --> 00:24:27,276 Speaker 1: I'm just you know, a person in my neighborhood, you know, 444 00:24:27,276 --> 00:24:29,236 Speaker 1: with the little kids, and just trying to struggling to 445 00:24:29,276 --> 00:24:32,716 Speaker 1: pay my mortgage like everybody else. Jason spoke with lots 446 00:24:32,756 --> 00:24:36,396 Speaker 1: of people about improving the area, but many weren't that optimistic. 447 00:24:36,676 --> 00:24:38,476 Speaker 1: First of all, people said, that's crazy. These things are 448 00:24:38,756 --> 00:24:41,676 Speaker 1: too expensive and problems too large, and it's going to take, 449 00:24:41,796 --> 00:24:45,036 Speaker 1: you know, decades. The conventional wisdom was that oak Cliffe's 450 00:24:45,076 --> 00:24:47,396 Speaker 1: only hope would be to entice a big restaurant chain 451 00:24:47,436 --> 00:24:50,276 Speaker 1: to open there, but Jason thought the answer should come 452 00:24:50,276 --> 00:24:55,276 Speaker 1: from inside the community, not outside. But how Jason decided 453 00:24:55,316 --> 00:24:58,036 Speaker 1: to hit the books. I called myself an amateur historian. 454 00:24:58,116 --> 00:24:59,756 Speaker 1: I love to go to the library and look at 455 00:24:59,756 --> 00:25:02,076 Speaker 1: the old photos and you know, look up what were 456 00:25:02,076 --> 00:25:04,956 Speaker 1: the old kind of you know, markets and farmer's markets 457 00:25:04,956 --> 00:25:07,116 Speaker 1: that we had, and just kind of discovering those things 458 00:25:07,156 --> 00:25:10,476 Speaker 1: and then telling people about what that was. And that's 459 00:25:10,516 --> 00:25:13,716 Speaker 1: what led to a radical idea. Jason's attention was drawn 460 00:25:13,756 --> 00:25:17,156 Speaker 1: to one of oak Cliffe's most historic buildings, the Texas Theater. 461 00:25:18,116 --> 00:25:19,836 Speaker 1: The theater had been a huge deal back in the 462 00:25:19,916 --> 00:25:22,956 Speaker 1: nineteen thirties, but it's better known nowadays for being the 463 00:25:22,996 --> 00:25:27,036 Speaker 1: spot where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested after JFK's assassination, 464 00:25:27,476 --> 00:25:31,636 Speaker 1: and so it had this very infamous history. The theater 465 00:25:31,716 --> 00:25:34,476 Speaker 1: had been shuttered for over ten years, but Jason had 466 00:25:34,516 --> 00:25:37,356 Speaker 1: a plan to bring it back to life. Why don't 467 00:25:37,356 --> 00:25:39,156 Speaker 1: I just do a big event in the theater. I 468 00:25:39,196 --> 00:25:42,636 Speaker 1: want to throw a big show. He gathered a bunch 469 00:25:42,676 --> 00:25:45,796 Speaker 1: of musicians and local artists, and one Friday night, his 470 00:25:45,876 --> 00:25:48,436 Speaker 1: crew descended on the building, cleaned it up, and set 471 00:25:48,476 --> 00:25:51,756 Speaker 1: out some easels, turning the interior into a studio space, 472 00:25:52,276 --> 00:25:55,236 Speaker 1: already for a charity art auction. Before we about to 473 00:25:55,236 --> 00:25:56,836 Speaker 1: open the doors, we started thinking, man, this is a 474 00:25:56,836 --> 00:25:58,956 Speaker 1: horrible idea. But when we opened the doors, we had 475 00:25:58,996 --> 00:26:01,276 Speaker 1: seven hundred people show up. They just kind of flooded 476 00:26:01,316 --> 00:26:03,476 Speaker 1: in the building. We had people saying like, man, we 477 00:26:03,476 --> 00:26:05,516 Speaker 1: were waiting for someone to open this old building, And 478 00:26:05,556 --> 00:26:07,396 Speaker 1: I thought, man, I was waiting for someone to open 479 00:26:07,396 --> 00:26:11,156 Speaker 1: the old building too. Jason's ragtag event raised over ten 480 00:26:11,196 --> 00:26:13,796 Speaker 1: thousand dollars for good causes, and it was the first 481 00:26:13,796 --> 00:26:17,916 Speaker 1: step in a successful effort to revive the defunct theater. Today, 482 00:26:17,956 --> 00:26:20,316 Speaker 1: it's a spot where Oak Cliff residents of all ages 483 00:26:20,356 --> 00:26:23,116 Speaker 1: can meet up and hang out. It even hosts its 484 00:26:23,156 --> 00:26:26,556 Speaker 1: own film festival. We went from this thing being an 485 00:26:26,556 --> 00:26:29,436 Speaker 1: eyesore that nobody wanted to pay a talk about, even 486 00:26:29,596 --> 00:26:31,876 Speaker 1: city was avoiding to. Now, if you go to City Hall, 487 00:26:31,916 --> 00:26:34,836 Speaker 1: there's a mural of the Texas Theater in City Hall, 488 00:26:34,876 --> 00:26:38,236 Speaker 1: which is amazing because we were literally told, why would 489 00:26:38,236 --> 00:26:40,276 Speaker 1: we want to fix that area? Just a place where 490 00:26:40,276 --> 00:26:44,076 Speaker 1: a crazy guy got arrested. The project proved to Jason 491 00:26:44,196 --> 00:26:47,236 Speaker 1: that his community could come together to improve their neighborhood. 492 00:26:47,396 --> 00:26:50,316 Speaker 1: It was emblematic, and it also laid the pathway for 493 00:26:50,396 --> 00:26:54,276 Speaker 1: everything else I did afterwards, which follow a similar formula. 494 00:26:54,476 --> 00:26:57,716 Speaker 1: Next came a bigger transformation. Jason knew that parts of 495 00:26:57,796 --> 00:27:00,156 Speaker 1: Dallas did look in function more like the streets he 496 00:27:00,196 --> 00:27:03,196 Speaker 1: loved in Europe, little corners with a good bookstore and 497 00:27:03,236 --> 00:27:05,876 Speaker 1: a cute cafe. They weren't big. They were often like 498 00:27:05,996 --> 00:27:08,356 Speaker 1: maybe a block or two, and I thought, it's interesting, 499 00:27:08,356 --> 00:27:10,556 Speaker 1: you can just have this great block that people love 500 00:27:10,636 --> 00:27:13,556 Speaker 1: to go to. So Jason found an abandoned block in 501 00:27:13,636 --> 00:27:16,276 Speaker 1: oak Cliffe to revive a one way street with a 502 00:27:16,316 --> 00:27:19,836 Speaker 1: few abandoned storefronts, and he soon discovered why it had 503 00:27:19,836 --> 00:27:23,356 Speaker 1: become so neglected. His city had tons of weird zoning 504 00:27:23,436 --> 00:27:27,596 Speaker 1: rules that made setting up businesses difficult. Think parking regulations 505 00:27:27,836 --> 00:27:31,676 Speaker 1: or ordinances prohibiting crowds gathering or flower planting, or creating 506 00:27:31,716 --> 00:27:34,396 Speaker 1: bike lanes. And the thing is that nobody knew all 507 00:27:34,436 --> 00:27:36,556 Speaker 1: these rules when I started asking people about that, and 508 00:27:36,596 --> 00:27:39,756 Speaker 1: nobody knows zoning, and so I said, well, to go weekend. 509 00:27:39,796 --> 00:27:42,076 Speaker 1: We broke all of these rules because nobody knows these 510 00:27:42,156 --> 00:27:45,956 Speaker 1: rules exist. The locals spent two days transforming the block. 511 00:27:46,316 --> 00:27:48,756 Speaker 1: They painted bike lanes and open pop up cafes with 512 00:27:48,796 --> 00:27:52,196 Speaker 1: outdoor seating. They added flower pots, string lights, and fun 513 00:27:52,276 --> 00:27:55,076 Speaker 1: games for kids. Jason's crew had made the block so 514 00:27:55,156 --> 00:27:58,276 Speaker 1: attractive that huge crowds turned up, including the mayor and 515 00:27:58,316 --> 00:28:02,036 Speaker 1: city leaders, who wanted to make the transformation permanent. When 516 00:28:02,116 --> 00:28:05,276 Speaker 1: Jason explained that what they'd done was technically illegal, the 517 00:28:05,316 --> 00:28:08,236 Speaker 1: town's council members agreed to adjust the zoning laws to 518 00:28:08,236 --> 00:28:12,716 Speaker 1: attract real business. Soon, the block had permanently transformed from 519 00:28:12,796 --> 00:28:16,836 Speaker 1: yet another isore to a social anchor for Jason's entire neighborhood. 520 00:28:17,756 --> 00:28:20,916 Speaker 1: It's now Jason's mission to help other communities retrofit They're 521 00:28:20,956 --> 00:28:24,876 Speaker 1: not So Happy spaces. His new nonprofit, the Better Block Foundation, 522 00:28:25,116 --> 00:28:28,036 Speaker 1: helps local residents to collaborate and build similar pop ups 523 00:28:28,556 --> 00:28:31,156 Speaker 1: any neighborhood that wants to can receive a shipping container 524 00:28:31,196 --> 00:28:34,156 Speaker 1: filled with outdoor seating, lights, kids, games, and other stuff 525 00:28:34,156 --> 00:28:36,676 Speaker 1: to make their block feel more inviting. His goal is 526 00:28:36,716 --> 00:28:39,916 Speaker 1: to help communities transform their outdoor spaces in ways that 527 00:28:39,956 --> 00:28:43,596 Speaker 1: convince local governments to make those happiness inducing changes permanent. 528 00:28:45,116 --> 00:28:47,596 Speaker 1: Fixing up one tiny part of town won't address all 529 00:28:47,636 --> 00:28:51,276 Speaker 1: the things that make some places unhappier than others. Viclanes 530 00:28:51,276 --> 00:28:54,756 Speaker 1: and cafe tables won't challenge wage inequalities or cut people's 531 00:28:54,756 --> 00:28:57,836 Speaker 1: working hours. The small changes made in oak Cliffe certainly 532 00:28:57,876 --> 00:29:01,036 Speaker 1: didn't immediately shoot Dallas onto the list of Happiness Blue Zones, 533 00:29:01,596 --> 00:29:04,636 Speaker 1: but Jason still believes that small improvements are worth trying 534 00:29:04,956 --> 00:29:07,796 Speaker 1: since they bring local people together to help other people 535 00:29:07,836 --> 00:29:09,916 Speaker 1: on the outside of things this crazy, This will never work, 536 00:29:10,036 --> 00:29:12,756 Speaker 1: and that almost inspired the neighborhood even more and me 537 00:29:12,996 --> 00:29:14,756 Speaker 1: as well, because I thought, well, I don't care if 538 00:29:14,796 --> 00:29:16,916 Speaker 1: I fail. I'm going to meet my neighbors, I'm going 539 00:29:16,996 --> 00:29:20,396 Speaker 1: to learn some stuff, I'm going to get involved. In fact, 540 00:29:20,596 --> 00:29:23,116 Speaker 1: becoming part of a community so committed to helping one 541 00:29:23,156 --> 00:29:28,116 Speaker 1: another was quite literally a lifesaver for Jason. In twenty twelve, 542 00:29:28,156 --> 00:29:31,036 Speaker 1: I was diagnosed with the stage three cancer, and when 543 00:29:31,076 --> 00:29:34,356 Speaker 1: I was at my absolute worst and chemotherapy and can 544 00:29:34,516 --> 00:29:37,916 Speaker 1: barely move, the neighbors that I had brought together to 545 00:29:37,956 --> 00:29:40,596 Speaker 1: do better blocks started knocking on my door and saying like, Hey, 546 00:29:40,596 --> 00:29:42,836 Speaker 1: can I take your daughter to go shopping at the 547 00:29:42,876 --> 00:29:46,276 Speaker 1: mall or take your son to go fishing. Jason credits 548 00:29:46,316 --> 00:29:48,916 Speaker 1: his recovery, at least in part to the social support 549 00:29:48,956 --> 00:29:51,356 Speaker 1: he received from the other residents of oak Cliffe, who 550 00:29:51,396 --> 00:29:54,236 Speaker 1: we got to know through his campaigning. What I got 551 00:29:54,276 --> 00:29:57,596 Speaker 1: out of all of that was a neighborhood, and I 552 00:29:57,636 --> 00:29:59,356 Speaker 1: think that's what I was looking for. I think that's 553 00:29:59,716 --> 00:30:02,436 Speaker 1: what we're all looking for. We like to believe that 554 00:30:02,476 --> 00:30:05,476 Speaker 1: we're individually in control of our own happiness, that with 555 00:30:05,556 --> 00:30:07,876 Speaker 1: the right level of effort, we can work to develop 556 00:30:07,956 --> 00:30:11,596 Speaker 1: better habits, and we can do this. But the science 557 00:30:11,636 --> 00:30:13,796 Speaker 1: shows that being in the right environment can make those 558 00:30:13,876 --> 00:30:17,356 Speaker 1: changes much much easier, and so Blue Zone discoverer Dan 559 00:30:17,396 --> 00:30:20,596 Speaker 1: Butner says, if you're unhappy, it's a no brainer. Just 560 00:30:20,716 --> 00:30:23,436 Speaker 1: pack your bags. If you want to get happier, don't 561 00:30:23,796 --> 00:30:27,436 Speaker 1: waste your time changing your behavior, change your surroundings. But 562 00:30:27,556 --> 00:30:30,076 Speaker 1: projects like Jason's show that if our spaces aren't as 563 00:30:30,076 --> 00:30:33,396 Speaker 1: happiness inducing as we like, then we can change them. 564 00:30:33,476 --> 00:30:35,876 Speaker 1: We can fix the environment around us so that it 565 00:30:35,996 --> 00:30:40,436 Speaker 1: helps rather than hurts, our enjoyment of life. I hope 566 00:30:40,476 --> 00:30:42,756 Speaker 1: these stories have given you some idea about ways you 567 00:30:42,796 --> 00:30:45,356 Speaker 1: can make all your zones a little bluer, and I 568 00:30:45,396 --> 00:30:47,516 Speaker 1: hope you'll come back again. For the next episode of 569 00:30:47,796 --> 00:30:56,996 Speaker 1: The Happiness Lab would be Doctor Laurie Sandos. The Happiness 570 00:30:57,076 --> 00:30:59,916 Speaker 1: Lab is co written and produced by Ryan Dilley, Emily 571 00:30:59,956 --> 00:31:03,836 Speaker 1: Ann Vaughan, and Courtney Guerino. Joseph Fridman checked our facts. 572 00:31:04,316 --> 00:31:08,676 Speaker 1: Our original music was composed by Zachary Silver, with additional scoring, mixing, 573 00:31:08,676 --> 00:31:12,676 Speaker 1: and mask dring by Evan Viola. Special thanks to Milabelle 574 00:31:12,836 --> 00:31:17,556 Speaker 1: Heather Fame, John Schnars, Carli Migliori, Christina Sullivan, Maggie Taylor, 575 00:31:17,716 --> 00:31:22,596 Speaker 1: Eric Sandler, Nicole Morano, Royston Preserve, Jacob Weisberg, and my agent, 576 00:31:22,756 --> 00:31:25,636 Speaker 1: Ben Davis. The Happiness Lab is brought to you by 577 00:31:25,636 --> 00:31:29,556 Speaker 1: Pushkin Industries and Nate Doctor Laurie Santos. To find more 578 00:31:29,596 --> 00:31:33,716 Speaker 1: Pushkin podcasts, listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 579 00:31:33,756 --> 00:31:35,356 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your podcasts.