Chasing Life
Is there a science to being happy? Does our brain chemistry, or even our genetics, determine how we feel about our lives? Can we learn to become even happier? While happiness may look different for everyone, and can at times feel impossible to achieve, we know it’s an emotion that can be crucial to both your physical and mental health. So in this season of Chasing Life, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is setting out to better understand happiness and what the science tells us about the best ways to achieve it.
Episodes
July 23, 2024 • 33 mins
We’ve all heard the phrase, “money doesn’t buy happiness.” But, Elizabeth Dunn, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, says that isn’t necessarily true. She sits down with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, to talk about her research into getting the “biggest happiness bang for our bucks,” and lessons from her book, “Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending.”
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July 16, 2024 • 34 mins
Have you ever wondered why some people seem naturally happier than others? Or if there are any universal keys to happiness? Sanjay sits down with social psychologist and University of California Riverside Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky who has been studying happiness for the last 35 years. The author of The How of Happiness discusses her findings and what she calls “happiness interventions” as well as how we can apply these practices ...
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July 9, 2024 • 38 mins
Trying new things. Setting Goals. Rebounding from setbacks. All of these tasks have at least one thing in common – they require confidence. And according to neuropsychologist Ian Robertson, confidence can also make us happier. Robertson is the T Boone Pickens Distinguished Chair at the Center for BrainHealth, UT Dallas, an Emeritus Professor at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and author of How Confidence Works: The New Science...
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July 2, 2024 • 38 mins
Have you ever wondered if stress and trauma from your past could be making you sick? Author and trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté, says our past experiences may literally be the root cause of “trauma related illness,” something he writes about in his most recent book, “The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture.” Drawing on his experience as both a Holocaust survivor, and a physician, Mate sits down with Dr. San...
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June 25, 2024 • 38 mins
When it comes to finding joy and happiness, exercise is not always top of mind but maybe it should be. Exercise benefits our physical health as well as helps to reduce anxiety, stress and symptoms of depression, yet many Americans say exercise is not something they enjoy. So where’s the disconnect? And how can people consistently reap the “feel good” benefits of exercise? Health psychologist and author of The Joy of Movement: How E...
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June 18, 2024 • 31 mins
Dr. Anthony Fauci became a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t the first public health crisis Dr. Fauci helped Americans navigate, or the first time he’s come under fire. Dr. Fauci sits down for an interview with CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta to discuss his life and new memoir "On Call: A Doctor’s...
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June 11, 2024 • 34 mins
An update on the current bird flu outbreak: it’s still infecting wild birds, mammals and now several farmworkers in the United States. The virus does not appear to be transmitted between humans, but can we prevent further spread? And what are public health officials doing to contain it? Immunologist and virologist Rick Bright has been studying the bird flu for decades and tells Dr. Sanjay Gupta why he thinks more action is needed a...
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June 4, 2024 • 34 mins
With the surge in telemedicine, therapy has seen a remarkable rise in popularity. But could therapy hold the key to a happier life? And should everyone go to therapy? Sanjay speaks with psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb, acclaimed author of "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone," and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast, about how therapy can actually change your brain and get you one step closer to achieving happiness. Plus, Lori sheds ...
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May 28, 2024 • 29 mins
Do you spend time worrying about what could go wrong in the future, or stressing about something you did or said in the past? That nagging feeling has a name: anxiety. But what if worrying about preventing anxiety is actually getting in the way of our happiness? New York University neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki is on a mission to help more people accept, and even embrace, what she calls “the most misunderstood emotion.” In this episo...
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May 21, 2024 • 31 mins
Have you ever wondered: What does it mean to be truly happy? Can our brain chemistry, or even our genetics, determine how we feel about our lives? And, most importantly, can we learn to be even happier? Cognitive scientist and Yale University Psychology Professor Laurie Santos has spent her career researching these questions. As the host of The Happiness Lab, Laurie has gone on her own journey to discover what it truly means to be ...
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May 14, 2024 • 32 mins
It turns out a simple “thank you” really can go a long way. In fact, giving thanks doesn’t just make others feel good – it can also boost your own mental and physical well-being. Dr. Sanjay Gupta hears how gratitude helped one woman navigate a life-changing medical diagnosis. Plus, how you can implement a gratitude practice into your daily life. This episode originally aired on May 17, 2022.
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May 7, 2024 • 33 mins
We've all heard of processed foods, but what about ultraprocessed foods, which make up more than half of the typical American diet? In this special Chasing Life: Spotlight, CNN Medical Correspondent Meg Tirrell explores how these foods became so widespread and the potential risks they pose to our health. She speaks with Professor Marion Nestle, a leading authority on nutrition and food policy and NIH senior investigator Kevin Hall,...
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April 30, 2024 • 30 mins
The U.S. is grappling with a recently discovered outbreak of avian influenza in dairy cows, driven by the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus. It's the first instance that the bird flu virus has been detected in US cattle. How concerned should we be about drinking milk or even eating chicken? And could this lead to the next pandemic? Sanjay speaks with epidemiologist Prof. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease R...
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April 23, 2024 • 36 mins
Global temperatures are rising, severe storms are intensifying and people are feeling climate anxiety. Does saving the planet mean living without comfort or convenience? Can policies and technology turn things around? CNN Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir believes taking better care of the earth and our ourselves can go hand-in-hand. He talks with Dr. Sanjay Gupta about what’s working, what needs to change and why there is rea...
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April 16, 2024 • 28 mins
For many of us, our weight and eating habits feel deeply intertwined. But how do you strike a balance between eating for pleasure and eating for fuel? How can we reframe our relationship with food – so it doesn't revolve around what’s “bad” or “good?” Sanjay speaks with Dr. Linda Shiue, an internal medicine physician, trained chef, and the author of Spicebox Kitchen. Dr. Shiue sheds light on sustainable approaches to healthy eating...
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April 9, 2024 • 30 mins
When it comes to optimizing our mental and physical health, many of us focus on managing our weight and metabolic function. But what happens when the numbers are good but the way we feel about our bodies is bad? Should we be striving to love the way we look? Or is it better to not think about our bodies at all? Actress and activist, Jameela Jamil thinks a lot about health, food and diet culture. After years of struggling with anore...
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April 2, 2024 • 29 mins
Keto. High protein. Intermittent fasting. So many diets claim to be the best way to lose weight. But do diets actually work? Research shows that diets don’t lead to long-term weight loss for most people, and that even two people following the same “healthy” diet can have wildly different results. Stanford University nutrition professor Dr. Christopher Gardner has spent more than 20 years studying nutrition and comparing different d...
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March 26, 2024 • 33 mins
There's no shortage of products and procedures promising a quick way to weight loss. But do they work? Or is it all just marketing and hype? In this episode, Sanjay speaks with Dr. Mikhail Varshavski – better known as Doctor Mike — who has made it his mission to debunk medical misinformation. He’ll dive into popular weight loss methods, how they supposedly work, and the truth behind cleanses, juices, tummy teas, and more.
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March 19, 2024 • 31 mins
Thirteen years ago, Seattle-based writer Lindy West wrote an essay that took the internet by storm called “Hello, I’m Fat.” That essay would become the 2016 New York Times best-selling memoir, Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, and later a Hulu television series. On today’s episode, Lindy, who is still writing and hosts a podcast, sits down with CNN’s Chief Medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a candid and honest conversation a...
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March 12, 2024 • 32 mins
How much do our genetics determine our destiny when it comes to how much we weigh? Cambridge geneticist Giles Yeo says your genes play a bigger role than you might think. “In casino terms, the house will always win if the die is weighted just a little bit one way versus the other.” On today’s Chasing Life, Professor Yeo, a pioneer in the field of obesity research, joins Dr. Sanjay Gupta to explain his ground-breaking research into ...
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