Why Unhappiness Is as Important as Happiness | Dr. Loretta G. Breuning

What is happiness? And is unhappiness curable?

Today we sit down with Dr. Loretta G. Breuning, who spent years researching the origin of happiness and the theories that revolve around it. She speaks about the reasons for happiness or its absence from a biological perspective, the history of the concept, and popular ideas about how best to pursue happiness.

“The ‘disease model’ of mental health … suggests that happiness is the natural, normal state and, if you’re unhappy, it’s a disease that can be fixed by treatment,” says Dr. Breuning, founder of the Inner Mammal Institute and professor emerita of management at California State University, East Bay. In this episode, we discuss the accuracy of the “disease model,” and how science arrived at the conclusion that unhappiness is to be treated by doctors alongside a variety of support groups and services.

“Academics and therapists must fit this model to avoid career suicide, and the media tends to fit it—partly because people want to hear it, and partly because pharmaceutical companies are one of the biggest advertisers,” says Dr. Breuning.