Part of the problem is that our minds tend to skew what we think really makes us happy, says Laurie Santos , PhD, professor of psychology at Yale University, who teaches a course called Psychology and the Good Life. “I think most of us make choices that try to maximise our happiness , but we get it wrong,” she says. For example, if you’re unhappy with your current life, you may think you should just get a new job, try to make more money, or buy more stuff. Usually, these types of strategies don’t work. Changing your thinking is much more effective than trying to change all the aspects of your life that seem to make you unhappy, she says.