How to Find "The One": The Science of Dating with Tim Molnar

How to Find "The One": The Science of Dating with Tim Molnar

Author: Pushkin Industries February 16, 2026 Duration: 45:01

Modern dating can feel exhausting. On one hand, there’s the seemingly endless swiping that leads to dating app burnout; on the other, there’s what can feel like the insurmountable challenge of meeting someone in real life.

But what if finding love is less about fate — and more about strategy? Dr. Laurie sits down with behavioral scientist and dating coach Tim Molnar, author of Date Smarter: A Strategic Guide to Navigating Modern Romance, to explore what the research really says about how to meet the right person, build genuine connection, and avoid common dating mistakes.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Date Smarter: A Strategic Guide to Navigating Modern Romance

Receptivity to Sexual Invitations from Strangers of the Opposite Gender

How to Bounce Back from Life’s Curveballs (with Dr. Maya Shankar)

Computations of Uncertainty Mediate Acute Stress Responses in Humans

Implementation Intentions and Goal Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of Effects and Processes

 “Forbes Health Survey: 78% Of All Users Report Dating App Burnout

Foot-in-the-Door Technique Using a Courtship Request

Getting Beyond Small Talk: Study Finds People Enjoy Deep Conversations with Strangers

Grammar Is Super Important to Online Dating Sites, So Try to Speak English Good

Swipe-based dating applications use and its association with mental health outcomes: a cross-sectional study

(00:02:17) Date Smarter: A Strategic Guide to Navigating Modern Romance

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


We often chase after things we believe will bring us joy-the next promotion, a perfect vacation photo, a bigger house-only to find the feeling is fleeting. The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos digs into the surprising psychology behind why our instincts about happiness are so frequently wrong. Dr. Santos, a Yale professor, doesn't just offer vague self-help advice; she translates the rigorous research from her record-breaking university course into practical, actionable science. Each episode feels like a personal conversation, where she breaks down complex studies and shares stories from people who've applied these lessons, revealing how counterintuitive changes in our daily routines and mindset can have a profound impact. This Pushkin Industries podcast moves beyond the surface of wellness trends, offering a grounded look at what genuinely improves our well-being across our social lives, personal health, and cultural expectations. Tuning in, you'll hear not just theory, but the tangible steps you can take to rewire your habits, backed by evidence that often contradicts our modern chase for more. It’s a refreshing take that makes the science of a better life accessible and genuinely useful, episode by episode.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Podcast Episodes
Why Being Grateful Makes Us Feel Great (A Thanksgiving Re-run) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:17
It's Thanksgiving - a good time to think about gratitude and being selfless. Concentrating on the things we have to be grateful for is a great way to boost your happiness. So thank the people who've done good things for…
How Horror Movies and True Crime Can Make You Happier [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:57
Halloween isn't just costumes and candy. It's also a time when we indulge our interest in the scary and macabre. But there's also a taboo about gory horror movies and gruesome true crime shows - we often feel that being…
Make Vulnerability Your Superpower (with NBA star Kevin Love) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:07
Not many elite athletes talk openly about mental health, but five-time NBA All-Star Kevin Love is changing that. After a very public panic attack on the basketball court he was told to "snap out of it". But Kevin decided…
How to Make Better Choices (with Barry Schwartz) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:48
Every choice you make shapes your wellbeing - and the bigger the decision, the greater the impact. So when it comes to life-changing questions like where to live, who to marry, or which career to pursue, how can you tell…
Take a Three-Day Weekend Without Losing Any Pay (with Juliet Schor) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:51
Many of us toil for long hours - and even take work home at the end of the day. That's bad for us in so many ways - but extensive research shows that it just doesn't have to be this way. Many of us could work a four-day…
Eat Like the People Who Live Happily to 100 (with Dan Buettner) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:21
Your eating habits could be cutting years off the end of your life. But there's a simple solution - eat like the people who live happily and healthily into their 80s, 90s and beyond. Dan Buettner studies the inhabitants…
Why Having the Courage to Defy Makes us Happier (with Dr Sunita Sah) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:53
We all go along with things we don't want to do... or worse, things that make us feel uncomfortable or morally uneasy. We comply for lots of reasons. We don't want to make trouble, or upset our friends, our bosses or peo…