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{{short description|American psychologist}}
{{BLP sources|date=December 2012}}{{Infobox scientist
{{Infobox scientist
⚫
| name = Laurie R. Santos
| birth_name = Laurie Renee Santos
⚫
| name = Laurie Santos
| image =
| image =
⚫
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1975}}
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1975}}
| birth_place = [[New Bedford]], [[Massachusetts]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place =
| residence = [[New Haven, Connecticut]]
| citizenship =
| citizenship = U.S.
| nationality =
| nationality =
| thesis_title = Domain-specific knowledge in a non-human primate
| ethnicity = [[US|Bi-racial Cape Verdean]]
| thesis_url = http://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/990098297040203941/catalog
⚫
| field = [[Psychology]]
⚫
| thesis_year = 2000
| field = [[Psychology]]<br>[[Primate cognition]]<br>[[Dog intelligence|Canine cognition]]<ref name=gs/>
| work_institutions = [[Yale University]]
| work_institutions = [[Yale University]]
| alma_mater = [[Harvard University]]
| education = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]], [[PhD]])
| doctoral_advisor =
| doctoral_advisor =
| doctoral_students =
| doctoral_students =
| known_for =
| influences =
| influences =
| influenced =
| influenced =
| prizes =
| prizes =
| footnotes =
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}
}}


'''Laurie Santos''' (born 1975) is a professor of [[psychology]] and [[cognitive science]] at [[Yale University]]. Her research explores the evolutionary origins of the human mind by comparing the cognitive abilities of humans and non-human animals, including primates and canines. She is the Director of the [http://doglab.yale.edu/ Canine Cognition Lab at Yale]. She has been a featured TED speaker,<ref>{{cite web | author = TED | url = http://www.ted.com/speakers/laurie_santos.html| title = Laurie R. Santos }}</ref> and has been listed in Popular Science Magazine as one of their “Brilliant 10” young minds in 2007,<ref>{{cite web | author = Popular Science | url = http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2007-10/popscis-6th-annual-brilliant-ten?page=0%2C5 | title = Brilliant 10}}</ref> and in ''Time'' magazine as a “Leading Campus Celebrity” in 2013.<ref>{{cite web | author = Yale University | url = http://psychology.yale.edu/news/laurie-santos-listed-time-magazine-leading-campus-celebrity| title = Campus News }}</ref> In June 2016, she was named the Head of [[Silliman College]], one of the 14 undergraduate residential colleges at Yale, succeeding [[Nicholas Christakis]].
'''Laurie Renee Santos''' (born 1975) is an American [[cognitive scientist]] and professor of [[psychology]] at [[Yale University]].<ref name=gs>{{Google scholar id}}</ref> She is the director of Yale's Comparative Cognition Laboratory, Director of Yale's Canine Cognition Lab, and former Head of Yale's [[Silliman College]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/01/18/laurie-santos-steps-down-as-silliman-head-of-college/ | title=Laurie Santos steps down as Silliman Head of College | date=18 January 2023 }}</ref> She has been a featured [[TED (conference)|TED]] speaker<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.ted.com/speakers/laurie_santos.html|title=Laurie Santos {{!}} Speaker {{!}} TED|last=Santos|first=Laurie|website=ted.com|language=en}}</ref> and has been listed in ''Popular Science'' as one of their "Brilliant Ten" young scientists in 2007<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2007-10/popscis-6th-annual-brilliant-ten?page=0,5|title=PopSci's 6th Annual Brilliant Ten|last1=Mone|first1=Gregory|date=2007-10-03|work=Popular Science|last2=Wenner|first2=Melinda|language=en|last3=Thompson|first3=Kalee|last4=Aaronson|first4=Lauren|last5=Svoboda|first5=Elizabeth}}</ref> as well as in ''Time'' magazine as a "Leading Campus Celebrity" in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://psychology.yale.edu/news/laurie-santos-listed-time-magazine-leading-campus-celebrity|title=Campus News|author=Yale University}}</ref>


In January 2018, her course titled ''Psychology and the Good Life'' became the most popular course in Yale's history, with approximately one-fourth of Yale's undergraduates enrolled.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/nyregion/at-yale-class-on-happiness-draws-huge-crowd-laurie-santos.html|title=Yale's Most Popular Class Ever: Happiness|last=Shimer|first=David|date=2018-01-26|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite news|url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2018/01/22/santos-course-breaks-enrollment-record/|title=Santos course breaks enrollment record|last=Mariwala|first=Jever|date=2018-01-22|work=Yale News|language=en}}</ref> In September 2019, she became host of the popular podcast ''The Happiness Lab'', published by [[Pushkin Industries]] — the media company led by journalists [[Malcolm Gladwell]] and [[Jacob Weisberg]].<ref name=":4" />
== Biography ==


=== Education and employment ===
== Early life and education ==
Santos was born in 1975 in a binational home in [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]]. Her father, whose family is of [[Cape Verde]]an descent, was a programmer and her mother, who is from the United States, was a guidance counselor at [[New Bedford High School]], where Santos and her brother Aaron attended.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://inteligencia.io/books/professor-laurie-santos-is-teaching-the-good-life/|title=Professor Laurie Santos is Teaching the Good Life|date=2018-11-12|website=Inteligencia|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-08}}</ref>
Santos was born in 1975 in [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]] to a family of [[Cape Verde]]an descent. She attended New Bedford High School, and went on to obtain her [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree magna cum laude in [[Psychology]] and [[Biology]] from [[Harvard University]] in 1997, winning the annual Psychology Department Undergraduate Thesis Prize. She continued her studies as graduate student in the [http://www.isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k3007&pageid=icb.page21918 Harvard Psychology Department], obtaining a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D]] in Psychology in 2003 with a focus on Cognition, Brain and Behavior. Her dissertation won the Richard J. Herrnstein Dissertation Prize of the [[Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences]] for “the best dissertation that exhibits excellent scholarship, originality and breadth of thought, and a commitment to intellectual independence.”


After high school, she attended [[Harvard University]]. As a sophomore, she became a research assistant and traveled to [[Cayo Santiago]], a small 38-acre island east of Puerto Rico. Cayo Santiago's monkey population inspired Santos and spurred her interest in the psychology of animals.<ref name=":1" /> In 1997, she received her [[Bachelor of Arts]], ''[[magna cum laude]]'', in [[psychology]] and [[biology]] and won the annual Psychology Department Undergraduate Thesis Prize. She continued her studies as graduate student in the Harvard Psychology Department, obtaining a [[Master's degree|master's]] in Psychology in 2001 with a focus on Cognition, Brain and Behavior and then a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D]] in the same field in 2003. Her dissertation won the Richard J. Herrnstein Dissertation Prize of the [[Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences]] for “the best dissertation that exhibits excellent scholarship, originality and breadth of thought, and a commitment to intellectual independence.”<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wj9ay5/what-monkeys-and-dognition-can-teach-us-about-the-human-brain|title=What Monkeys and 'Dognition' Can Teach Us About the Human Brain|last1=Ferreira|first1=Becky|last2=Rogers|first2=Kaleigh|date=2018-10-18|website=Vice|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-08|last3=Koebler|first3=Jason}}</ref>
In 2003, she began as an [[Assistant Professor]] in [[Psychology]] and [[Cognitive Science]] at [[Yale University]], earning tenure as an [[Associate Professor]] in 2009.


== Career and research ==
Santos is married to the philosopher [http://philosophy.yale.edu/maxwell Mark Maxwell]. She is the sister of author and physicist [http://www.aaronsantos.com/Site/Welcome.html Aaron Santos].
In 2003, she began as an [[assistant professor]] in [[psychology]] and [[cognitive science]] at [[Yale University]], earning tenure as an [[associate professor]] in 2009. Her research investigates the evolutionary origins of the human mind by comparing the cognitive abilities of humans and non-human animals, including primates and canines. Santos was Yale's director of undergraduate studies in psychology from 2010 to 2015.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://news.yale.edu/2016/06/16/psychologist-laurie-santos-named-new-head-silliman-college|title=Psychologist Laurie Santos named new head of Silliman College|date=2016-06-16|website=news.yale.edu|language=en|access-date=2019-07-08}}</ref>

In June 2016, she was named the head of [[Silliman College]], one of the 14 undergraduate residential colleges at Yale, succeeding [[Nicholas Christakis]]. Santos' Yale course, "Psychology and the Good Life”<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/> focuses on answering questions like: “What actually makes us [[happiness|happy]]?” and “What can we do to achieve the good life?” Her course has become the most popular class in Yale history and as a result, Yale has made it available externally on the online learning platform [[Coursera]] in March 2018 as "The Science of Well-Being." As of November 2018, over 170,000 people from at least 170 countries have enrolled in the online course.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yale.edu/2018/04/05/yale-well-event-professors-serve-pursuit-happiness-three-ways|title=At Yale Well event, professors serve up the pursuit of happiness three ways|date=5 April 2018|website=yale.edu}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

=== Featured work ===
⚫
Santos's scientific work has been published in journals such as ''[[Psychological Science]]'', ''[[Animal Cognition]]'', ''[[Developmental Science]]'', ''[[Current Biology]]'', ''[[Animal Behaviour (journal)|Animal Behaviour]]'', and ''[[Cognition (journal)|Cognition]]''.<ref name=gs/> 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 (American TV series)|''Nova'']].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/secretlife/scientists/laurie-santos/|title=Secret Life of Scientists|author=Nova|website=pbs.org}}</ref> She is the editor (with [[Bruce Hood (psychologist)|Bruce Hood]]) of ''The Origins of Object Knowledge''. She has been featured on [[National Public Radio]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marketplace.org/topics/your-money/monkeys-love-discounts-too|title=Monkeys love discounts too|author=LeMoult|first=Craig|date=2011-12-01|website=marketplace.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = NPR | url = http://www.yourpublicmedia.org/node/24272
⚫
| title = Sex, Evolution and Human Nature}}</ref> on [[Big Think]], and—with her colleagues [[Paul Bloom (psychologist)|Paul Bloom]], [[Tamar Gendler]] and [[Joshua Knobe]] she is a regular contributor to [[Bloggingheads.tv]]’s Mind Report.

Santos has had to retract two scientific papers because of coding errors in her lab.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://retractionwatch.com/2014/01/15/psychology-researcher-explains-how-retraction-causing-errors-led-to-change-in-her-lab/|title=Psychology researcher explains how retraction-causing errors led to change in her lab|date=2014-01-15|website=retractionwatch.com|access-date=2018-03-13|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Podcast: ''The Happiness Lab'' ===
Since September 2019, Santos has hosted the podcast ''The Happiness Lab'', which examines the latest scientific research on factors impacting our well-being and happiness.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Manning-Schaffel|first=Vivian|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/can-you-actually-learn-how-be-happier-ncna1045316|title=Can you actually learn how to be happier|date=August 29, 2019|website=nbcnews.com|access-date=Feb 8, 2020}}</ref> The show completed its first 10-episode season in November 2019,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/id1474245040|title=The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos on Apple Podcasts|website=podcasts.apple.com|language=en-us|access-date=2020-02-08}}</ref> and has spent 126 days on the U.S. Podcasts Chart, peaking at No. 3.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.itunescharts.net/artists/podcast/pushkin-industries/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/|title=iTunesCharts.net: 'The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos' by Pushkin Industries (International iTunes Chart Performance)|website=itunescharts.net|access-date=2020-02-08}}</ref> Santos produced further episodes of her podcast.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Carter|first=Liz|date=2020-09-25|title=New season of Laurie Santos' podcast approaches|url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2020/09/25/new-season-of-laurie-santos-podcast-approaches/|access-date=2020-11-28|website=yaledailynews.com|language=en}}</ref> The podcast published by [[Pushkin Industries]],<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.happinesslab.fm/|title=The Happiness Lab|website=The Happiness Lab|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-08}}</ref> the media company led by journalists [[Malcolm Gladwell]] and [[Jacob Weisberg]], formerly of ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' magazine.

Writing in the ''[[Financial Times]]'', Fiona Sturges wrote: “Santos is the voice of sanity, not to mention scrupulous research. [She's] a warm yet authoritative host who shows us the contradictions in our psychological impulses.”<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sturges|first=Fiona|url=https://www.ft.com/content/d7113928-db8a-11e9-9c26-419d783e10e8|title=The podcast that shows us how to be happy|date=Sep 22, 2019|website=financialtimes.com|publisher=Financial Times|location=London|access-date=February 8, 2020}}</ref>

As of October 2023, it has a 4.9-star rating on Spotify, with approximately 130 episodes to date.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos |url=https://open.spotify.com/show/3i5TCKhc6GY42pOWkpWveG |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Spotify |language=en}}</ref>

The Happiness Lab podcast is described as an enquiry into why we often don't understand what truly makes us happy, and what the science says actually will make a positive impact on our mental well-being. The podcast bio is listed as follows.

"You might think you know what it takes to lead a happier life... more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations. You’re dead wrong. Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. Based on the psychology course she teaches at Yale -- the most popular class in the university’s 300-year history -- Laurie will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will change the way you think about happiness." [https://open.spotify.com/show/3i5TCKhc6GY42pOWkpWveG]


=== Honors and awards ===
=== Honors and awards ===
In 2007, Santos was featured in Popular Science Magazine as one of the journal’s “Brilliant 10” Young Scientists. In 2008, she was awarded the [http://www.socphilpsych.org/prizes.html Stanton Prize] for outstanding early-career contributions to interdisciplinary research in [[Philosophy]] and [[Psychology]] by [[Society for Philosophy and Psychology]]. In 2008, she was awarded the [http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/school_notes/144/683 Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Junior Faculty at Yale University]. In 2010, she was a [http://www.ted.com/speakers/laurie_santos.html featured speaker at the TED Global Conference in Oxford, UK].
In 2007, Santos was featured in ''Popular Science'' as one of the journal's “Brilliant Ten” young scientists. In 2008, she was awarded the Stanton Prize for outstanding early-career contributions to interdisciplinary research in [[philosophy]] and [[psychology]] by the [[Society for Philosophy and Psychology]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.socphilpsych.org/prizes.html|title=Society for Philosophy and Psychology (SPP)|website=socphilpsych.org|access-date=2018-06-02}}</ref> and the Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication or Research by Yale University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/school_notes/144/683|title=January/February 2009 {{!}} Yale College {{!}} School Notes {{!}} Yale Alumni Magazine|website=yalealumnimagazine.com|language=en|access-date=2018-06-02}}</ref> In 2010, she was a featured speaker at the TED Global Conference in Oxford, UK.<ref name=":0" />


In 2011, she was featured as the [https://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/video/presidential-symposium-broadband-social-cognition.html Association for Psychological Science Presidential Symposium Speaker]. In 2012, she was awarded the Lex Hixon Prize for teaching excellence in the [[social sciences]] at [[Yale University]].<ref>{{cite web | author = Yale University | url = http://news.yale.edu/2012/04/20/her-lectures-laurie-santos-inspires-curiosity-and-potential-colleagues | title = Lex Hixon Teaching Prize 2012}}</ref> In 2013, she was voted as one of [http://nation.time.com/2013/09/05/the-hottest-seats-in-class/Time Magazine’s leading campus celebrities].
In 2011, she was featured as the Association for Psychological Science Presidential Symposium Speaker.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jaffe|first=Eric|date=2011-07-29|title=Presidential Symposium: Broadband Social Cognition|url=https://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/video/presidential-symposium-broadband-social-cognition.html|journal=APS Observer|language=en-US|volume=24|issue=6}}</ref> In 2012, she was awarded Yale University's Lex Hixon Prize for teaching excellence in the [[social sciences]], the highest teaching prize awarded at Yale College,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.yale.edu/2012/04/20/her-lectures-laurie-santos-inspires-curiosity-and-potential-colleagues|title=In her lectures, Laurie Santos inspires curiosity and potential colleagues|author=Gonzalez|first=Susan|date=2012-04-20|website=Yale News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://millennialawards.com/speakers?catid=1&id=95:amelie-karam-24|title=Dr. Laurie Santos – Emerge Summit|website=millennialawards.com|access-date=2019-07-08}}</ref> and the [[American Psychological Association]]'s Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yalescientific.org/2012/03/laurie-santos-honored-by-the-apa/|title=Laurie Santos Honored by the APA|last=Fote|first=Gianna|date=2012-03-16|website=Yale Scientific Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-08}}</ref>


In 2013, she was voted as one of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's leading campus celebrities.<ref>[http://nation.time.com/2013/09/05/the-hottest-seats-in-class/Time]{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In 2016, she served as the President of the [[Society for Philosophy and Psychology]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.socphilpsych.org/pastofficers.html|title=Society for Philosophy and Psychology (SPP)|website=socphilpsych.org|access-date=2019-07-08}}</ref> In 2018, she received a Genius Award from the [[Liberty Science Center]] in New Jersey.<ref name=":2" />
== Bibliography ==

⚫
Santos’s scientific work has appeared in journals such as [[Psychological Science]], [[Animal Cognition]], [[Developmental Science]], [[Current Biology]], [[Animal Behavior]], 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 Magazine]], [[Smithsonian Magazine]], and [[Discover Magazine]] as well as on [[National Public Radio]] and [[Nova]].<ref>{{cite web | author = Nova | url = https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/secretlife/scientists/laurie-santos/ | title = Secret Life of Scientists}}</ref> She is the editor (with [[Bruce Hood (psychologist)|Bruce Hood]]) of The Origins of Object Knowledge . She has been featured on [[National Public Radio]],<ref>{{cite web | author = NPR | url = http://www.marketplace.org/topics/your-money/monkeys-love-discounts-too | title = Monkeys Love Discounts}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = NPR | url = http://www.yourpublicmedia.org/node/24272
=== Popularization of science ===
⚫
| title = Sex, Evolution and Human Nature}}</ref> on [[Big Think]], and—with her colleagues [[Paul Bloom (psychologist)|Paul Bloom]], [[Tamar Gendler]] and [[Joshua Knobe]] she is a regular contributor to [[Bloggingheads.tv]]’s [http://bloggingheads.tv/programs/mind-report Mind Report].
Santos appeared in the 2018 Netflix documentary [[The Most Unknown (film)|''The Most Unknown'']]<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Most Unknown (2018) - IMDb|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8126390/|access-date=2021-06-09|website=www.imdb.com|language=en-US}}</ref> on scientific research directed by [[Ian Cheney]].

== Personal life ==
Santos is married to philosopher Mark Maxwell.<ref name=":3" />

== See also ==

* [[Well-being]]
⚫
* [[Psychology]]
* [[Mental health]]
* [[Positive psychology]]


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikiquote}}

* [http://news.yale.edu/2012/04/20/her-lectures-laurie-santos-inspires-curiosity-and-potential-colleagues Yale News Article]
{{Authority control}}
* [http://www.marketplace.org/topics/your-money/monkeys-love-discounts-too NPR Interview]
* [http://www.yourpublicmedia.org/node/24272 NPR interview]
* [http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2007-10/popscis-6th-annual-brilliant-ten?page=0%2C5 Popular Science “Brilliant 10”]
* [http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/school_notes/144/683 Arthur Greer Prize]
* [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/secretlife/scientists/laurie-santos/ Laurie Santos on Nova]
* [http://bbc.in/OEhTkL Sept. 9, 2012 episode of BBC Radio's "The Forum"] featuring Laurie Santos.


{{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Laurie R.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Laurie R.}}
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[[Category:American psychologists]]
[[Category:American women psychologists]]
[[Category:American women psychologists]]
[[Category:Evolutionary psychologists]]
[[Category:Evolutionary psychologists]]
[[Category:Cognitive scientists]]
[[Category:American cognitive scientists]]
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[[Category:21st-century American psychologists]]
[[Category:Women cognitive scientists]]
[[Category:Women cognitive scientists]]
[[Category:Women primatologists]]
[[Category:Women primatologists]]
[[Category:American academics]]
[[Category:Primatologists]]
[[Category:American atheists]]
[[Category:American atheists]]
[[Category:American science writers]]
[[Category:American science writers]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:Yale University faculty]]
[[Category:Yale University faculty]]
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
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[[Category:21st-century American women academics]]
[[Category:21st-century American academics]]
[[Category:21st-century American women scientists]]

Latest revision as of 20:39, 12 March 2024

Laurie Santos
Born
Laurie Renee Santos

1975 (age 48–49)
New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA, MA, PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology
Primate cognition
Canine cognition[1]
InstitutionsYale University
ThesisDomain-specific knowledge in a non-human primate (2000)
Websitepsychology.yale.edu/people/laurie-santos Edit this at Wikidata

Laurie Renee Santos (born 1975) is an American cognitive scientist and professor of psychology at Yale University.[1] She is the director of Yale's Comparative Cognition Laboratory, Director of Yale's Canine Cognition Lab, and former Head of Yale's Silliman College.[2] She has been a featured TED speaker[3] and has been listed in Popular Science as one of their "Brilliant Ten" young scientists in 2007[4] as well as in Time magazine as a "Leading Campus Celebrity" in 2013.[5]

In January 2018, her course titled Psychology and the Good Life became the most popular course in Yale's history, with approximately one-fourth of Yale's undergraduates enrolled.[6][7] In September 2019, she became host of the popular podcast The Happiness Lab, published by Pushkin Industries — the media company led by journalists Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg.[8]

Early life and education

[edit]

Santos was born in 1975 in a binational home in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Her father, whose family is of Cape Verdean descent, was a programmer and her mother, who is from the United States, was a guidance counselor at New Bedford High School, where Santos and her brother Aaron attended.[9][10]

After high school, she attended Harvard University. As a sophomore, she became a research assistant and traveled to Cayo Santiago, a small 38-acre island east of Puerto Rico. Cayo Santiago's monkey population inspired Santos and spurred her interest in the psychology of animals.[9] In 1997, she received her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in psychology and biology and won the annual Psychology Department Undergraduate Thesis Prize. She continued her studies as graduate student in the Harvard Psychology Department, obtaining a master's in Psychology in 2001 with a focus on Cognition, Brain and Behavior and then a Ph.D in the same field in 2003. Her dissertation won the Richard J. Herrnstein Dissertation Prize of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for “the best dissertation that exhibits excellent scholarship, originality and breadth of thought, and a commitment to intellectual independence.”[9]

Career and research

[edit]

In 2003, she began as an assistant professor in psychology and cognitive science at Yale University, earning tenure as an associate professor in 2009. Her research investigates the evolutionary origins of the human mind by comparing the cognitive abilities of humans and non-human animals, including primates and canines. Santos was Yale's director of undergraduate studies in psychology from 2010 to 2015.[11]

In June 2016, she was named the head of Silliman College, one of the 14 undergraduate residential colleges at Yale, succeeding Nicholas Christakis. Santos' Yale course, "Psychology and the Good Life”[6][7] focuses on answering questions like: “What actually makes us happy?” and “What can we do to achieve the good life?” Her course has become the most popular class in Yale history and as a result, Yale has made it available externally on the online learning platform Coursera in March 2018 as "The Science of Well-Being." As of November 2018, over 170,000 people from at least 170 countries have enrolled in the online course.[12][10]

[edit]

Santos's scientific work has been published in journals such as Psychological Science, Animal Cognition, Developmental Science, Current Biology, Animal Behaviour, and Cognition.[1] 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.[13] She is the editor (with Bruce Hood) of The Origins of Object Knowledge. She has been featured on National Public Radio,[14][15] 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.

Santos has had to retract two scientific papers because of coding errors in her lab.[16]

Podcast: The Happiness Lab

[edit]

Since September 2019, Santos has hosted the podcast The Happiness Lab, which examines the latest scientific research on factors impacting our well-being and happiness.[17] The show completed its first 10-episode season in November 2019,[18] and has spent 126 days on the U.S. Podcasts Chart, peaking at No. 3.[19] Santos produced further episodes of her podcast.[20] The podcast published by Pushkin Industries,[8] the media company led by journalists Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg, formerly of Slate magazine.

Writing in the Financial Times, Fiona Sturges wrote: “Santos is the voice of sanity, not to mention scrupulous research. [She's] a warm yet authoritative host who shows us the contradictions in our psychological impulses.”[21]

As of October 2023, it has a 4.9-star rating on Spotify, with approximately 130 episodes to date.[22]

The Happiness Lab podcast is described as an enquiry into why we often don't understand what truly makes us happy, and what the science says actually will make a positive impact on our mental well-being. The podcast bio is listed as follows.

"You might think you know what it takes to lead a happier life... more money, a better job, or Instagram-worthy vacations. You’re dead wrong. Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. Based on the psychology course she teaches at Yale -- the most popular class in the university’s 300-year history -- Laurie will take you through the latest scientific research and share some surprising and inspiring stories that will change the way you think about happiness." [2]

Honors and awards

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In 2007, Santos was featured in Popular Science as one of the journal's “Brilliant Ten” young scientists. In 2008, she was awarded the Stanton Prize for outstanding early-career contributions to interdisciplinary research in philosophy and psychology by the Society for Philosophy and Psychology[23] and the Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Publication or Research by Yale University.[24] In 2010, she was a featured speaker at the TED Global Conference in Oxford, UK.[3]

In 2011, she was featured as the Association for Psychological Science Presidential Symposium Speaker.[25] In 2012, she was awarded Yale University's Lex Hixon Prize for teaching excellence in the social sciences, the highest teaching prize awarded at Yale College,[26][27] and the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology.[28]

In 2013, she was voted as one of Time magazine's leading campus celebrities.[29] In 2016, she served as the President of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology.[30] In 2018, she received a Genius Award from the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey.[10]

Popularization of science

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Santos appeared in the 2018 Netflix documentary The Most Unknown[31] on scientific research directed by Ian Cheney.

Personal life

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Santos is married to philosopher Mark Maxwell.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Laurie R. Santos publications indexed by Google Scholar Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Laurie Santos steps down as Silliman Head of College". 18 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b Santos, Laurie. "Laurie Santos | Speaker | TED". ted.com.
  4. ^ Mone, Gregory; Wenner, Melinda; Thompson, Kalee; Aaronson, Lauren; Svoboda, Elizabeth (2007-10-03). "PopSci's 6th Annual Brilliant Ten". Popular Science.
  5. ^ Yale University. "Campus News".
  6. ^ a b Shimer, David (2018-01-26). "Yale's Most Popular Class Ever: Happiness". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  7. ^ a b Mariwala, Jever (2018-01-22). "Santos course breaks enrollment record". Yale News.
  8. ^ a b "The Happiness Lab". The Happiness Lab. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  9. ^ a b c Ferreira, Becky; Rogers, Kaleigh; Koebler, Jason (2018-10-18). "What Monkeys and 'Dognition' Can Teach Us About the Human Brain". Vice. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  10. ^ a b c "Professor Laurie Santos is Teaching the Good Life". Inteligencia. 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  11. ^ a b "Psychologist Laurie Santos named new head of Silliman College". news.yale.edu. 2016-06-16. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  12. ^ "At Yale Well event, professors serve up the pursuit of happiness three ways". yale.edu. 5 April 2018.
  13. ^ Nova. "Secret Life of Scientists". pbs.org.
  14. ^ LeMoult, Craig (2011-12-01). "Monkeys love discounts too". marketplace.org.
  15. ^ NPR. "Sex, Evolution and Human Nature".
  16. ^ "Psychology researcher explains how retraction-causing errors led to change in her lab". retractionwatch.com. 2014-01-15. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  17. ^ Manning-Schaffel, Vivian (August 29, 2019). "Can you actually learn how to be happier". nbcnews.com. Retrieved Feb 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos on Apple Podcasts". podcasts.apple.com. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  19. ^ "iTunesCharts.net: 'The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos' by Pushkin Industries (International iTunes Chart Performance)". itunescharts.net. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  20. ^ Carter, Liz (2020-09-25). "New season of Laurie Santos' podcast approaches". yaledailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  21. ^ Sturges, Fiona (Sep 22, 2019). "The podcast that shows us how to be happy". financialtimes.com. London: Financial Times. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos". Spotify. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  23. ^ "Society for Philosophy and Psychology (SPP)". socphilpsych.org. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  24. ^ "January/February 2009 | Yale College | School Notes | Yale Alumni Magazine". yalealumnimagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  25. ^ Jaffe, Eric (2011-07-29). "Presidential Symposium: Broadband Social Cognition". APS Observer. 24 (6).
  26. ^ Gonzalez, Susan (2012-04-20). "In her lectures, Laurie Santos inspires curiosity and potential colleagues". Yale News.
  27. ^ "Dr. Laurie Santos – Emerge Summit". millennialawards.com. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  28. ^ Fote, Gianna (2012-03-16). "Laurie Santos Honored by the APA". Yale Scientific Magazine. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  29. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  30. ^ "Society for Philosophy and Psychology (SPP)". socphilpsych.org. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  31. ^ "The Most Unknown (2018) - IMDb". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
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