Happiness Hacks That Actually Work (And What You’re Getting Wrong) with the World’s Leading Happiness Expert: Arthur Brooks : 1219
The Human Upgrade with Dave Asprey
Dave Asprey
4.6 • 7.3K Ratings
🗓️ 5 November 2024
⏱️ 83 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What if everything you believe about happiness is wrong?
In this episode, Harvard professor and world-renowned happiness expert Arthur Brooks joins Dave Asprey to unlock the secrets of real happiness, revealing the science behind joy, resilience, and lasting fulfillment. As a bestselling author and co-author with Oprah Winfrey of Build the Life You Want, Arthur has spent decades helping people rethink happiness through a blend of psychology, neuroscience, and ancient wisdom.
Together, Dave and Arthur explore eye-opening topics like the “reverse bucket list,” why dopamine-driven goals often lead to disappointment, and how embracing discomfort can actually create deeper contentment. Arthur dives into why our common pursuits of fame, wealth, and success often fall short, and shares powerful strategies for mastering what’s within our control, building resilience, and finding meaning in life’s simplest moments.
From managing dopamine to harnessing the power of small wins, this episode offers science-backed insights and practical tools to elevate your life with lasting joy and purpose. If you’re ready to transform your approach to happiness, tune in for strategies that truly work.
Sponsors
Leela Quantum | Head to https://leelaq.com/DAVE for 10% off.
ARMRA | Go to https://tryarmra.com/ and use the code DAVE to get 15% off your first order.
Resources:
• Arthur Brooks’ Website – https://arthurbrooks.com
• Arthur Brooks’ TED Talk: A New Way to Think About Happiness – https://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_brooks_the_art_and_science_of_happiness?subtitle=en&geo=es
• Arthur Brooks’ Weekly Column: How to Build a Life in The Atlantic – https://www.theatlantic.com/author/arthur-c-brooks/
• Dave Asprey’s Website – https://daveasprey.com
• Dave Asprey’s Book: Smarter Not Harder – https://daveasprey.com/books
• Danger Coffee – https://dangercoffee.com
• Danger Coffee Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/dangercoffeeofficial/
• Dave Asprey’s Linktree – https://linktr.ee/daveasprey
• Upgrade Collective: Join The Human Upgrade Podcast Live – https://www.ourupgradecollective.com
• Own an Upgrade Labs – https://ownanupgradelabs.com
• Upgrade Labs – https://upgradelabs.com
• 40 Years of Zen – Neurofeedback training for advanced cognitive enhancement – https://40yearsofzen.com
Timestamps
• 00:00 – Introduction to Reverse Bucket List
• 00:35 – The Science of Happiness
• 00:58 – Personal Journey to Happiness
• 01:44 – Meet Arthur Brooks
• 04:26 – The Role of Music in Emotions
• 07:43 – Understanding Emotions and the Brain
• 09:50 – Parenting and Influence
• 18:06 – Public Speaking and Performance
• 34:10 – Striving for Success and Happiness
• 39:40 – The Struggle with Body Image and Nutrition
• 40:03 – Reverse Bucket List: Assessing Attachments
• 40:57 – The Science of Dopamine and Motivation
• 43:09 – The Dangers of Pornography and Dopamine
• 44:03 – Biohacking and Pain Management
• 47:03 – The Importance of Small Wins
• 48:48 – Embracing Pain and Discomfort
• 53:01 – The Role of Pain in Personal Growth
• 56:12 – The Concept of Non-Resistance
• 57:17 – The Happiness of Strivers
• 01:01:13 – The Importance of Relationships and Spiritual Life
• 01:03:22 – The Role of Fame and Legacy
• 01:16:31 – The Value of Truthfulness and Compassion
• 01:17:59 – Conclusion and Final Thoughts
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Being happy is hard. One of the things that I recommend is having a reverse bucket list. |
| 0:04.3 | Biggest mistake young people listening to us make is thinking they have good and bad feelings. |
| 0:08.0 | There's no such thing as bad feelings. People who become business leaders, they're not normal. |
| 0:12.9 | You get more dopamine when you think about something you want to go get than when you actually get the thing. |
| 0:17.0 | Your suffering is unbelievably sacred. Pain elimination is a huge mistake. When I hear a teenager |
| 0:22.5 | say, I want to be an influencer, it's about the same as saying I want to be a porn star. What's the |
| 0:26.6 | recipe for being a happy striver? You're listening to The Human Upgrade with Dave Asprey. |
| 0:34.9 | This is a live episode recorded here at my studios in Austin, Texas. |
| 0:40.5 | And our guest today is a world leader in happiness. |
| 0:44.7 | I'm a professor of happiness. |
| 0:47.6 | And neuroscience and business and a bunch of other things. |
| 0:51.7 | He is going to teach us today what happiness is and what it isn't |
| 0:56.6 | and what you can do to be happier. |
| 0:58.5 | And this is a deeply personal episode for me |
| 1:01.6 | because in my 20s, I thought making money would make me happy. |
| 1:06.8 | I was very convinced. |
| 1:07.8 | So I made $6 million and I was 26. |
| 1:09.9 | Lost him when I was 28. And when I was sitting down $6 million and I was 26. Lost him when I was 28 and I was sitting down |
| 1:12.9 | $6 million. I looked at a friend and said, I'll be happy when I have 10. And I tried the fame thing. |
| 1:18.3 | I'm an entrepreneur magazine when I'm 23. Didn't make me happy. Try I get married in my 20s briefly. |
| 1:23.0 | Didn't make me happy. Damn, being happy is hard. In fact, it's really hard. |
| 1:29.2 | So what would happen if you just studied it? |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dave Asprey, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Dave Asprey and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.