Why You're Still Unhappy - Happiness Expert Shares the 3 Daily Habits to Rewire Your Brain for Joy

What if I told you that your brain is literally designed to make you miserable? And that the harder you fight against negative thoughts, the stronger they become?

Meet Declan Edwards, a happiness researcher who turned his own struggles with unhappiness into a career dedicated to understanding the science of joy. After years of battling self-doubt and not knowing who he was, Declan discovered something powerful: happiness isn't something you're born with or without. It's a skill you can learn.

In this conversation, we dive deep into why so many of us feel stuck despite doing "all the right things," the fascinating psychology behind our worst-case scenario thinking, and the practical tools that actually work to rewire your brain for lasting happiness.
If you've been exhausted from trying to "think positive" all the time, this episode will completely shift how you approach your mental wellbeing.

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Connect with me
🔹LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/
🔺 Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard
🔸 Website: https://www.georgiehubbard.com
📚 Early access to Pivotr (AI Career Mentor): https://www.pivotr.com

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Connect with Declan
🔹LinkedIn
🎙️ Podcast: "How to be Happy" (episodes on individual and workplace happiness)
🌐 Website: Free resources and tools available
📱 Social: Search "Declan Edwards," "BU Happiness College," or "That Happiness Guy" on any platform

All the links can be found here: https://linktr.ee/that_happiness_guy

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💡 What You'll Learn in This Episode:

- Why your brain is wired to focus on worst-case scenarios (and how this kept our ancestors alive)

- The "Brown Bear Experiment" that proves what we resist will persist

- How to "dance with your thoughts" instead of fighting them
- The difference between mental health awareness and mental health action
- Why happiness has a "set range" and how to expand yours
- The 3 fundamental practices that stack the deck in your favour for happiness
- How to break free from the "I'll be happy when" trap
- Why comparing yourself to others steals your joy (and what to do instead)

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⏱️ Timestamps:

02:13 - How Declan became "that happiness guy"

07:17 - Why challenging experiences can lead to meaningful growth

10:42 - The comparison trap and hedonic treadmill

14:56 - Balancing your inner CEO and inner monk

16:12 - What really steals happiness from us

18:04 - The expectation trap and how to escape it

21:17 - Why we set impossible timelines for ourselves

23:36 - The 3 fundamentals: Physical health supports mental health

25:51 - Getting your thoughts out of your head

28:02 - Breaking the thought-feeling spiral

29:14 - How to dance with difficult emotions instead of fighting them

31:56 - The Brown Bear Experiment explained

35:35 - Are we talking about mental health too much?

40:10 - The upper limit problem and happiness set points

42:04 - Set point theory vs set range theory

47:57 - How to be happier at work

54:33 - The ripple effect of workplace happiness on society

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🚀 Mentioned in This Episode:

BU Happiness College
"How to be Happy" podcast
The Nordic Edge (book on Scandinavian happiness research)
Gay Hendricks - "The Big Leap"
Set point theory and set range theory
The Brown Bear Experiment
Negative cognitive bias
Neuroplasticity research
Tony Robbins’ approach to motivation

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🧠 Key Tools & Techniques:

- Two-word check-in: Capture how you feel in only two words each day
- Physical happiness foundation: Adequate water, movement, and sleep
- Name it to tame it: Expand your emotional literacy
- Otter app: For voice journaling and getting thoughts out of your head
- Gratitude practice: The antidote to expectation
- Mindfulness and meditation: To expand your happiness set range

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📝 Key Takeaway:
Happiness isn't about never feeling negative emotions or having everything figured out. It's about developing the skills to navigate life with more resilience, self-compassion, and intentionality. Your brain may be wired for survival (which includes worst-case thinking), but you can train it to experience more joy through consistent daily practices that work WITH your psychology, not against it.