Boost Your Happiness Quotient and Find Calm in Chaos with Dr. Laurie Santos at 2026 Rappaport Speaker Series

Stuart, Fla. - How’s your Happiness Quotient these days? If you’re defaulting to frowning emojis, clutching a stress ball during everyday conversations, or wishing you could spend the day hiding under a blanket, you’re not alone.

 

According to Dr. Laurie Santos, we should all be much happier than we are – and the science backs her up.

 

A professor, cognitive scientist, psychologist, and podcast host, Dr. Santos is one of the world’s leading experts on happiness and well-being. Her course at Yale University, which explores science-backed strategies for living a more fulfilling life, is the most popular class in the university’s 300-year history, and she fills auditoriums wherever she speaks. More than 4 million people have signed up for her happiness course online.

 

Now, Treasure Coast audiences will have the chance to learn directly from Dr. Santos when she presents  “Calm Amidst the Chaos: The Science of Happiness,” on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at Temple Beit HaYam in Stuart as part of the 2026 Rappaport Speaker Series.

 

Don’t think it’s easy to get an “A” in the course, though. Dr. Santos’ students will tell you that it takes a lot of work to be happy. The great news is that Dr. Santos has the research to back up her insights into practical things people can do to enrich their lives and build their happiness quotient. The surprising and inspiring stories from her Happiness Lab will challenge and change people’s understanding of how to get unstuck, feel less stressed, and be happy.

 

Tickets for Dr. Santos’ talk are $50 each and available now at www.RappaportSpeakerSeries.com.

 

The final presentation in the 2026 season will take place on March 26, when Eve Samples, former journalist and current executive director of Friends of the Everglades, will speak on “Everglades on Trial: A Test for Environmental Policy in America.”

 

More information about the Rappaport Center, the Speaker Series, and the 2026 presenters is available at www.RappaportSpeakerSeries.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RappaportCenterSpeakerSeries

 

About the Rappaport Foundation

 

The Phyllis & Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation partners with leading institutions in Boston and beyond to cultivate emerging leaders in public policy, mental health, neurodegenerative research, and the arts. The Foundation has a long and proud history of supporting emerging leaders, including civic leaders who improve the lives of their constituents and communities, medical researchers who have unlocked the mysteries of the brain, mental illness and Alzheimer’s disease, and artists who enrich lives, ignite imaginations, and challenge us to see the world in a new light. In Stuart, Florida, the Foundation sponsors the Rappaport Center Speaker Series to promote informed dialogue on issues of national and international importance.

 

About Temple Beit HaYam

 

Founded in 1993, Temple Beit HaYam is a Reform Jewish congregation in Stuart dedicated to Torah (lifelong learning), Avodah (worship), and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of kindness and justice). Temple Beit HaYam is a Reform Jewish Congregation committed to Torah (life-long Jewish education), avodah (worship through prayer and service) and gemilut chasadim (acts of loving kindness). The Temple offers Hebrew and religious training to youngsters from kindergarten through high school, has active Sisterhood and Brotherhood programs, and is an active cultural hub, hosting concerts, lectures, and community events that enrich the Treasure Coast.