“Hello everyone. My name is Luciano Sewaybricker, and this is The Underside of Happiness podcast”
What is happiness?
This seemingly simple question has intrigued humanity for centuries—and it’s been the core of my academic journey as a researcher and professor. From my undergraduate thesis to my professor role at São Camilo University, I’ve been exploring the science behind happiness, seeking to define it as a rigorous object of study and examining the implications of its political use.
Currently, I’m a postdoctoral researcher member of the Indigenous Support Network at the University of São Paulo, where I’m leading a participatory project to define and measure happiness for the Guarani Mbyá people. This work emphasizes cultural perspectives and aims to create meaningful frameworks grounded in indigenous worldviews.
In addition to this project, I’m involved in:
** Cognitive Interviews on the Cantril-ladder
Exploring how people interpret and respond to the Cantril self-anchoring striving scale (used in the Gallup World Poll) to assess the validity of grouping responses as if they reflect a similar object.
** Psychedelic Therapy and Happiness
Conducting pre- and post-ceremony interviews with first-time Ayahuasca users to investigate linguistic shifts and changes in self-assessment of happiness after a psychedelic experience.
When I’m not researching, I enjoy sharing insights through my podcast, The Underside of Happiness. In this project, I summarize my work and broader conversations about happiness in a (hopefully!) accessible and engaging format.
The Underside of Happiness 