Your Environment Affects Your Happiness More Than You Think with Dr. Leidy Klotz
4/20/202638 min
Our surroundings affect our happiness in ways we often don’t notice. The layout of a room, the amount of clutter in our home, and even small changes to lighting can shape our mood, focus, and relationships.
As The Happiness Lab continues its spring cleaning series, Dr. Laurie sits down with University of Virginia Professor Leidy Klotz, author of In a Good Place, to explore the hidden ways our spaces shape our inner lives. Why do certain places make us feel calm, connected, and grounded, while others leave us distracted or drained?
From creating more connection at home to using our surroundings to remember loved ones we’ve lost, these practical ideas will refresh your space and your wellbeing.
Experts Mentioned:
- Leidy Klotz, professor of engineering and architecture at the University of Virginia
- Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid activist and former president of South Africa
- Jane Jacobs, writer and urban activist
Resources Mentioned:
- In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive, by Leidy Klotz (2026)
- Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less by Leidy Klotz (2021)
- “Spatial Patterns of Solar Photovoltaic System Adoption: The Influence of Neighbors and the Built Environment” by Marcello Graziano and Kenneth Gillingham (Journal of Economic Geography, 2015).
- “Fire Drill: Inattentional Blindness and Amnesia for the Location of Fire Extinguishers” by Alan D Castel, Michael Vendetti, and Keith J Holyoak. (Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 2012)
- “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being” by Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci (American Psychologist, 2000).
- “Neighborhoods and Violent Crime: A Multilevel Study of Collective Efficacy” by Robert J. Sampson, Stephen W. Raudenbush, and Felton Earls (Science, 1997).
- “When Choice Is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?” by Sheena S. Iyengar and Mark R. Lepper (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2000).
Related Episodes:
- "Choice Overload" by The Happiness Lab (2019).
- "How to Make Better Choices (with Barry Schwartz)" by The Happiness Lab (2025).
- "How to Design a More Meaningful Life (with Dave Evans and Bill Burnett)" by The Happiness Lab (2026).
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsLaurie Santos· Host0:00
[intro music] Pushkin. [upbeat music] When we think about spring cleaning, we usually focus on stuff, what to toss, what to organize, what to tidy up. But what if we zoomed out for a second and thought about the nature of space itself, how we're using it, and how it might be shaping our wellbeing in ways that we don't even notice?
Leidy Klotz· Guest0:32
There's a whole realm of opportunities kind of in this relationship between our inner and outer worlds, and I think we don't recognize that our outer worlds shape our inner worlds in how people feel and think and behave and how spaces relate to that.
Laurie Santos· Host0:48
This is University of Virginia Professor Leidy Klotz. Leidy is the author of a new book entitled In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive.
Leidy Klotz· Guest0:59
My scholarship bridges between engineering and architecture and psychology and behavioral science. Even if you're just talking about, "Oh, should I add a new light to my office?" That's gonna change all sorts of dynamics in unpredictable ways.
Laurie Santos· Host1:13
Before we go further, because we're talking about space, I'm curious about the space you're in right now. If you put on your sort of space psychologist hat, what would you notice about that room? How's it affecting your mind?
Leidy Klotz· Guest1:22
My space right now is very minimalistic so that I can focus on the conversation with you and your listeners. But your space,