Episode September 8, 2026 50 min 15s

Happiness Is a Skill: The 5 Skills to Create It | Declan Edwards

From Unstress with Dr Ron Ehrlich Unstress Health

What if happiness isn't something you find, but something you can learn?

In this episode, Dr Ron Ehrlich speaks with happiness researcher and positive psychologist 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀, known as “That Happiness Guy”, about why we often chase happiness through success, achievements and external milestones - and why that approach can leave us stuck on the “happiness trap”.

Declan explains five core happiness skills: 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲❟ 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀❟ 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻❟ 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳❟ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. They also explore workplace happiness, gratitude, relationships, societal wellbeing and what we can learn from the Nordic countries.

◉ 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭:

Declan Edwards is a happiness researcher, positive psychology practitioner, author, speaker and founder of BU Happiness College. He is known globally as “That Happiness Guy” and has spent more than a decade translating happiness research into practical tools for individuals and workplaces. The script notes his work with organisations including the United Nations, TEDx and Harvard Business Review.

His official website describes him as a leader in positive psychology, keynote and TEDx speaker, author and founder of BU Happiness College.

Official links:

🌐⁠ Declan Edwards – Official Website⁠ [https://declanedwards.com.au]
🎓⁠ BU Happiness College⁠ [⁠https://www.buhappinesscollege.com⁠]
💼⁠ Declan Edwards on LinkedIn⁠ [⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/declan-edwards-bu-happiness-college⁠]
📸⁠ Declan Edwards on Instagram⁠ [⁠https://www.instagram.com/declanedwards_bu⁠]
🎵 Declan Edwards on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@that.happiness.guy]
▶️ BU Happiness College on YouTube [⁠https://www.youtube.com/@buhappinesscollege⁠]

𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆: 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀❟ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟱 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱

The book, published by Wiley in 2026, develops the same five core skills discussed in the episode: emotional intelligence, looking inwards, retraining your brain, knowing yourself and directing your life.