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Have you ever wondered: What does it mean to be truly happy? And how can I be 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. In this 10th season of his CNN podcast 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. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

How does Dr. Sanjay Gupta chase life? 

That’s a good question. The newest season, the 10th, of the “Chasing Life” podcast, is all about the science of happiness, which is the very essence of chasing life. I chase life by being what I like to call “constructively dissatisfied” — I am constantly in motion, trying to improve things so as not to stagnate. That means engaging in conversations with people — thought leaders, experts, scientists, people who are pushing the envelope in their fields — and learning from them.  

I chase life by sinking my teeth into my own projects — I am juggling several documentaries right now. In fact, my documentary on Alzheimer’s just came out this past weekend and I am working on a new book.  

I also have another career as a neurosurgeon. Medicine is my first true love, really. It brings me joy to solve complex problems. So, once a week, I’m in the operating room, and then throughout the rest of the week, I have to follow up with my patients. Healing people never gets old. 

And of course, I have a full family life that keeps me on my toes, chasing life. I have three teenage daughters, the eldest just finished her first year of college. My wife and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary; I have a younger brother and two wonderful, resilient parents. Oh, and the three dogs; I’d be in the doghouse if I didn’t mention Bruno, Que and Nuk!  

And maybe it’s no surprise that another way I chase life is exercise. I am a runner, and I also compete in triathlons. As a man in his early 50s, I know that physical activity— literally staying in motion — is so important for my future health.  

You started your podcast “Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction” in the early days of the pandemic as a daily reality check on the emerging crisis, and now you are about to start your 10th  season of the “Chasing Life” podcast. How has the podcast, and the kinds of conversations you have, evolved? 

It’s a 180-degree difference, a complete change in direction. 

When we were first asked to put together a podcast, it was a very sudden decision. The head of CNN at the time called me into his office on a Friday and said we were launching a daily podcast the following Monday. 

The danger that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, represented was just coming into focus. It was a time of great uncertainty and there was a lot of misinformation – not even misinformation, just lack of information among the public, and, really, scientists and researchers, too. Nobody knew exactly how the virus was transmitted, or why some people died while others only got a little sick. We didn’t even know that some people could be infected and contagious and still asymptomatic. The amount of new information coming out every day was astounding, but it was also hard know where to fit each piece into the emerging puzzle.  

The public was very concerned and confused and the “Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction” podcast was a way to elevate the voices of credible, knowledgeable experts who were often on the front lines of the pandemic.  

Then in the spring of 2021, after the vaccines had arrived and most of this country had gotten their shots — when we thought the worst of the crisis was over — we made the decision to keep the podcast going on a weekly basis, but to change its focus to how to emerge from our isolation and fear and step into a more optimistic future.  

So you can imagine that the kinds of people who have been guests on “Chasing Life” are very different. Our first season was all about the science behind how we thrive. In all of our seasons, we rarely even mentioned the pandemic, partially because it was no longer the emergency it once was, but also because I wanted to focus on the incredible potential and resilience of the human mind, body and spirit. 

When it comes to managing our health, we typically think about tools like medications, diet and exercise. But what about happiness -- what role does it play in our overall health? 

That’s the $64,000 question. First, you have to define “happiness” — is it optimism? Having a sense of general well-being? The ability to express joy? So that’s one aspect of your question that needs to be teased out. 

As for the science, research does seem to link being “happier” with a longer life expectancy, a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and infection, among other health benefits. But the jury is still out, because it’s hard to prove causation. Are happy people healthier — and therefore live longer — because they are happy? Or are healthy people, who tend to live longer, happier because they are healthy? Or do happy and healthy people share another underlying lifestyle or socioeconomic factor, or multiple factors, that we haven’t even considered?  

We try to untangle and tease out all of that in the podcast. And I have to say, I have learned so much from my guests so far; it’s been illuminating. Also, what I know from personal experience, is that it is a lot more pleasant to feel happy, to feel good, than to feel unhappy — although you can’t have one without the other. 

Getting back to your question, everyone will just have to listen to the podcast to find out! 

What has surprised you about the science of happiness and what are you hoping listeners will take away from these conversations? 

I don’t know if this has surprised me as much as made me feel hopeful — and this has been something that has been repeated over and over again by my guests —  but it’s hearing that almost anyone can take steps to improve their level of happiness to some degree or another. I don’t want to sound too Pollyannaish about it, and I don’t want to imply that you can just will "happiness” to happen, but you can move the needle a bit. And then, once you do that, you can maybe move the needle a bit more.  

In honor of the 10th season of the podcast we’d like to hear how you are “Chasing Life”. Call 470-396-0832 and leave us a message, you could be featured on a future episode!

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