Life Fulfilled Podcast · 2026-07-27 · 32 min
After decades leading at the C-level in Silicon Valley tech companies, Linda Hand went back to school, this time at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, to study the neuroscience behind why happiness slips through our fingers, and what we can do about the 40% of it that's actually ours to shape. Who This Is For This episode is for leaders and high performers who keep achieving and still feel the goalposts moving. If you've hit a milestone you worked years for and felt the satisfaction evaporate faster than you expected, or if you manage a team and want to understand how gratitude and recognition actually move performance and morale, this conversation gives you the science and the tools to work with, not against, how your brain is wired. Key Takeaways Hedonic adaptation is the real culprit behind the fade. We get used to good things fast, that's not a flaw, it's how the brain is built. Linda's own example, a water feature she once couldn't stop smiling at, now registers when she's intentional about noticing it. Only 40% of your happiness is within your control, and that's the good news.
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