Although this graduation season looks much different than years past, 2020 graduates are still faced with the same question that we’ve all had to answer (or for some of us, are still trying to answer): what vocation will add value and meaning to my life? In this episode, Arthur talks with Stanford Business School professor and behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker about distinguishing between meaning and happiness in life and work. They also discuss the psychology of humor and how AI just might help improve our well-being.

Meaning and Purpose in Life and Work

You want to be happy. So why are you leaving it up to chance? There exists a wealth of knowledge that can help you live a life that has more joy, satisfaction, and purpose—and help you share these gifts with others. Harvard professor, PhD social scientist, bestselling author, and columnist Arthur Brooks is your teacher on the art and science of living a better life. In each episode, you will hear about research in the worlds of science, philosophy, theology, art, and literature. Then, Arthur will tell you how to use the wisdom of the experts in your own life, starting today.

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K-12

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Self-Improvement

Can variety and novelty bring us happiness? Is there ever too much of a good thing when it comes to new experiences? In this episode, Arthur and Ceci discuss the good and bad side of neophilia, the love of new things. Most importantly, Arthur shares how a healthy appetite for life and an openness to experiencing new things can lead to an abundance of beauty, satisfaction, and adventure in our lives.

Happiness from All Things New

Were you happy with your life pre-pandemic? Are there toxic relationships or draining activities that might be better left behind as we reemerge from the pandemic? In this episode, Arthur and Ceci discuss how we can use these waning months of the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to honestly evaluate our lives and assess our happiness. Arthur also provides a step-by-step guide on how to learn from difficulties and suffering of the pandemic in order to return to “normal” better, and happier, than we were before.

Life After COVID

People usually make two mistakes when it comes to their own happiness: First, they assume that happiness already exists, and they just have to go find it. Second, they equate happiness to other complicated problems, solvable through engineering the right formula. However, happiness is complex, and requires a different approach. In this episode, Arthur is joined by co-authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller Designing Your Life and co-founders of the Stanford Life Design Lab, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. Together, they share some insights from the world of design to help you build a life of happiness and meaning.

Designing Happiness

Are you making your life harder than it needs to be? Satisfaction is one of the key macronutrients of happiness, but it can prove elusive. And it’s easy to burn out chasing it, and inventing more and more wants in our lives. Can we escape this phenomenon? In this episode, Arthur is joined by New York Times bestselling author Greg McKeown to discuss his latest bestseller, Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most. Together, they share some practical advice for living more effortlessly, while doing more of what matters and finding the true satisfaction that we seek.

Achieving Effortlessness and Greater Happiness

Can money buy happiness? It’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of working more and more hours, chasing more and more money, in the hopes of getting happier. But after a certain point, despite our hard-wired belief to the contrary, more money doesn’t bring more happiness. In this episode, Arthur and Ceci discuss the sometimes complicated relationship between money, happiness, and satisfaction. They also share how, at any income level, with a little knowledge and practice, we can actually use money to buy a little more happiness.

Meaning and Purpose in Life and Work

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