<p>We’re kicking off a new season of <em>The Happiness Lab</em> with some happiness hot takes — bold claims that challenge conventional wisdom about what it really takes to feel happier. Today's hot take is all about oversharing.</p> <p>We’re usually told that revealing too much is cringe-worthy. That it demonstrates social ignorance. That when it comes to overly personal information, save it for your therapist, because less is usually more.</p> <p>Dr. Laurie argues that revealing more than feels comfortable can actually strengthen our social connections and boost our wellbeing. She speaks with Harvard Business School professor <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=589473">Leslie John</a>, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Revealing-Underrated-Oversharing-Leslie-John/dp/0593545389"><em>Revealing</em></a>, about why TLI (too little information) is often more dangerous than TMI, and chats with University of Chicago psychologist <a href="https://www.nicholasepley.com/">Nick Epley</a>, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-More-Social-Unexpected-Connection/dp/0593319540"><em>A Little More Social</em></a>, about what “embracing the cringe” can teach us about connection, vulnerability, and trust. </p> <p>Together, they explore the line between sharing and oversharing, and explain why what feels like “too much information” is often just information.</p> <p><strong>Experts Mentioned:</strong> </p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.proflesliejohn.com/about">Leslie John</a>, James. E. Burke Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School</li> <li><a href="https://www.nicholasepley.com/">Nick Epley</a>, John Templeton Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Faculty Director of the Roman Family Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business</li> <li><a href="https://bronnieware.com/">Bronnie Ware</a>, author and palliative carer </li> </ul> <p><strong>Resources Mentioned:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Revealing-Underrated-Oversharing-Leslie-John/dp/0593545389"><em>Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing</em></a>, by Leslie John (2026)</li> <li>“<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1754073917742706">Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling as implicit emotion regulation</a>” by Jared Torre and Matthew Lieberman (<em>Emotion Review</em>, 2018)</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Top-Five-Regrets-Dying-Transformed/dp/140194065X"><em>The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing</em></a>, by Bronnie Ware (2011)</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-More-Social-Unexpected-Connection/dp/0593319540"><em>A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection</em></a>, by Nick Epley (2026)</li> <li>“<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797618772506">Undervaluing gratitude: Expressers misunderstand the consequences of showing appreciation</a>,” by Amit Kumar and Nick Epley (<em>Psychological Science</em>, 2018)</li> <li>“<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-92058-001">Insufficiently complimentary?: Underestimating the positive impact of compliments creates a barrier to expressing them</a>” by Xuan Zhao and Nick Epley (<em>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology</em>, 2021)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Related Episodes: </strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>“</strong><a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/the-secret-to-making-friends-as-an-adult">The Secret to Making Friends as an Adult</a>”</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/why-giving-is-a-great-daily-habit">Why Giving is a Great Daily Habit</a>”</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/caring-what-youre-sharing">Caring What You’re Sharing</a>”</li> </ul><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>
