Doing Well: The Wellbeing Science Insights Podcast · Life Management Science Labs

Simon Leow: The Impact of Positive Interpersonal Relationships on Mental Health | Doing Well #87

·53 min·1 clip

Happiness Initiative breaks wellbeing into five themes, including mindset, relationships, other-centeredness, and purpose.

1. Doing Well #87 focuses on the impact of positive interpersonal relationships on mental health, with Simon Leow speaking from the virtual studio. 2. Simon Leow is the co-founder of Happiness Initiative, a social enterprise in Singapore, and he oversees research and development there. 3. The episode asks what positive interpersonal relationships do for wellbeing and how people can build them in daily life. 4. Simon says he founded Happiness Initiative after returning to Singapore in 2015 and seeing a mental health landscape centered on treatment. 5. He says the organization tries to translate research from the field of wellbeing, much of it produced since 2000, into programs and products. 6. Simon says Happiness Initiative works with three groups: corporates, communities, and schools. 7. He says his own motivation comes from research, statistics, and a sustained interest in human psychology and behavior. 8. Simon names the book A New Earth as a personal turning point and says it helped him through a difficult period. 9. He links A New Earth to questions about ego, belief systems, and whether science can measure ideas that appear in spirituality. 10. Simon also names Everything Everywhere All at Once as a recent film he enjoyed because it layers family, relationships, and meaning. 11. He says he was introduced to podcasts during COVID and does not actively listen, but sees the format as a way to connect people. 12. Simon names the Dalai Lama as a role model and says The Art of Happiness led him to that interest. 13. He describes meeting the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala after a meditation retreat and says that experience stayed with him. 14. Simon says wellbeing can be viewed through outcomes such as the mental health continuum or through skills and behaviors. 15. He says Happiness Initiative uses five themes: mindset, what people do, relationships, other-centeredness, and purpose. 16. Simon says Gallup’s wellbeing survey also breaks wellbeing into five domains, including social wellbeing, community wellbeing, purpose, physical wellbeing, and financial wellbeing. 17. He says one useful test for positive interpersonal relationships is whether someone can take your call at 4am. 18. Simon says empathy is central because people can affect one another even when they are not close friends. 19. The conversation is reflective and interview-led, with Lumo using personal examples to test Simon’s ideas and keep the pace conversational. 20. People interested in wellbeing, relationships, and practical psychology will likely get the most from this episode, while listeners wanting a quick self-help checklist may skip it.

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