Have you ever finally got the thing you were chasing, the job, the house, the paid-off mortgage, and felt pretty much the same a week later? Most of us grew up believing happiness shows up once enough boxes are ticked. Happiness researcher Declan Edwards has spent a decade showing it works the other way around.
In this episode, we sit down with Declan Edwards, happiness researcher, TEDx speaker, founder of BU Happiness College and author of How to Be Happy, to unpack what the science says actually makes us happy, and how happiness can be learned and practised like any other skill.
We explore Declan's own path from anxiety and playing a role for everyone around him, to a decade of studying happiness, and what the research says about money, social media, parenthood and the way we measure a country's success.
Through powerful stories and real-life examples, we dive into:
- The "I'll be happy when" trap, and why hitting the goal so rarely delivers
- Why Declan spent his teens as a "human chameleon", and what it cost him
- What the 2026 World Happiness Report found about social media (and why Australia slipped out of the top ten)
- Can money buy happiness? The three ways of spending it that the research links to feeling happier
- The 3,000-year argument over pleasure vs purpose, and Declan's 75/25 happiness blend
- Why becoming a parent was the hardest chapter for his happiness, and the 2am toasted sandwich that helped
If you've ever wondered why the good stuff stops feeling good so quickly, this conversation will change how you think about your own happiness, and give you a few places to start today.
Connect with Declan Edwards:
Website: https://declanedwards.com.au
BU Happiness College: https://www.buhappinesscollege.com Instagram: @declanedwards_bu
Book: How to Be Happy: https://declanedwards.com.au/declans-book
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