In this special bonus episode of Frontiers in Health & Happiness, host Ayla Fudala speaks with Dr. K. “Vish” Viswanath, Director of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, about the importance of social well-being and collective well-being.

When we think about health and happiness, we often focus on individual choices, emotions, and achievements. But Dr. Viswanath’s work asks us to widen the lens: Our well-being is also shaped by our relationships, communities, institutions, social environments, and the opportunities we have to feel safe, included, respected, supported, and connected.

The conversation explores ideas from Dr. Viswanath’s book chapter, “Beyond Individual Happiness: Understanding the Role of Social in Health and Well-Being,” co-authored with Dr. Zichao Li. Together, they discuss why social connection and participation matter for health, how trust and social capital operate in everyday life, and why collective well-being is about more than simply adding up individual happiness.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What social well-being means—and how it relates to physical and psychological health
• Why health and happiness are shaped by social determinants and broader community conditions
• The difference between social integration and true social inclusion
• How trust, reciprocity, social capital, and community ties support well-being
• Why loneliness, social isolation, and being alone are not the same experience
• How emotional, informational, practical, and belonging-based support affect health
• When social media can strengthen connection—and when it may undermine participation in community life
• What collective well-being means and why it is not simply the sum of individual happiness
• How inequality, discrimination, exclusion, and lack of access affect individual and community flourishing
• How civic virtues—including trust, justice, solidarity, and social cohesion—can help create healthier communities
• Practical ways individuals can strengthen social connection and contribute to collective well-being

Learn more about Dr. Vishwanath’s work and read “Beyond Individual Happiness: Understanding the Role of Social in Health and Well-Being” in Perspectives on Wellbeing for Inclusive Schools and an Inclusive Society: https://www.emerald.com/books/edited-volume/21584/Wellbeing-for-Inclusive-Schools-and-an-Inclusive

Stay connected with the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness:

Website: https://hsph.harvard.edu/research/health-happiness/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/harvard-chan-health-happiness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harvardchan_healthhappiness/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ095u5aSCFD8Wv0zxcGs5A

Frontiers in Health & Happiness is the official podcast of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, exploring the science of health, happiness, social connection, and well-being.

In the final episode of our Virtues for Well-being series, host Ayla Fudala speaks with Dr. Demond Hill, Assistant Professor of Health Equity at Tufts University, about the science of awe—and why we may be able to find it in places we least expect.

Awe is often associated with mountaintops, breathtaking landscapes, or extraordinary experiences. But Dr. Hill’s research asks us to look closer. Drawing on his work with Black and Brown high school students in Boston, he explores how awe can emerge in everyday neighborhoods, relationships, art, play, and even spaces that might initially seem overlooked or “awful.”

The conversation also examines how awe may support mental health, social connection, belonging, and human flourishing, while challenging us to think about what these ideas mean in communities facing structural inequality. Dr. Hill shares lessons from his youth participatory action research and explains why listening to young people may be essential to creating healthier, more equitable communities.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What awe is—and how it differs from joy and gratitude
• Why you don’t need a dramatic natural landscape to experience awe
• How awe can influence stress, connection, belonging, and well-being
• What Black and Brown youth in Boston are teaching researchers about everyday awe
• How overlooked spaces—from bus stops to neighborhood parks—can become sources of wonder and possibility
• Why centering youth voices can transform health equity research
• How educators, practitioners, and community leaders can help cultivate awe and flourishing

Learn more about Dr. Demond Hill and his research at Tufts University:
https://as.tufts.edu/epcshd/people/faculty/demond-hill

Stay connected with the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness:

Website: https://hsph.harvard.edu/research/health-happiness/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/harvard-chan-health-happiness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harvardchan_healthhappiness/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarvardCenterHealthHappiness/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ095u5aSCFD8Wv0zxcGs5A

Frontiers in Health & Happiness is the official podcast of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, exploring the science of health, happiness, and well-being.

Can small daily actions meaningfully improve happiness and well-being? In this episode of Frontiers in Health & Happiness, host Ayla Fudala speaks with Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas, Science Director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, about the science of happiness, positive emotions, gratitude, compassion, awe, laughter, and social connection.

Dr. Simon-Thomas shares findings from the Big Joy Project, a global citizen science initiative that invites participants to try seven brief “micro-acts” designed to support well-being. She explains why different practices work for different people, how financial strain can make participation more difficult, and what researchers are learning about the connection between repeated practice, prosocial values, and a greater sense of agency over one’s happiness.

The conversation also explores lessons from UC Berkeley's Science of Happiness online courses, which have reached more than one million learners worldwide. Discover why expressing gratitude is more powerful than simply feeling it, why meaningful relationships are essential to health and happiness, and how small, intentional acts of kindness, generosity, and connection can create lasting change in our lives.