Holiday Gratitude & Happiness with Arthur Brooks 12/26/25

Squawk Pod

CNBC

Investing, Business, News, Business News

4.2 • 543 Ratings

🗓️ 26 December 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Happiness guru and Harvard professor Arthur Brooks discusses generosity, family, and gratitude this Boxing Day, and 5 New Digital founder Michael Zakkour shares insights about the holiday shopping season, including the retail winners across luxury and budget sectors. Plus, the news headlines that got us Squawking: a winter storm warning in the Northeast, U.S. military strikes in Nigeria, and one very lucky Poweball ticket holder. Michael Zakkour - 10:25 Arthur Brooks - 20:45 In this episode: Arthur Brooks, @arthurbrooks Leslie Picker, @LesliePicker Contessa Brewer, @contessabrewer Steve Liesman, @steveliesman Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie

Transcript

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0:00.0	Bring in show music, please.
0:04.3	Hi, I'm CNBC producer Katie Kramer.
0:07.2	Today, on Squawk Pod, the day after Christmas edition.
0:11.1	The news is negative because the guys who write it are mad about having to come in.
0:16.1	We're here working today on this holiday shortened week.
0:20.3	A year-end happiness check-in with How to Build a Life columnist Arthur Brooks.
0:25.8	The government can't bring you happiness.
0:27.9	It can't.
0:28.6	What it can do is eliminate sources of unhappiness.
0:32.2	And what consumers are worried about this holiday season with retail expert Michael Zaccour.
0:37.3	I think a lot of aspirational luxury buyers have dropped out of the market.
0:41.3	It's harder to justify I saved up for a $3,500 purse that this season is $6,500 and you didn't improve the value.
0:49.3	Plus are pinch hitter, Steve Leesman, Leslie Picker, and Contessa Brewer on today's news,
0:55.6	like medals on the move, and one lucky powerball player in Arkansas.
1:00.3	Lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.
1:03.7	You can't win if you don't play.
1:06.5	It is Friday, December 26th.
1:09.4	Squawk Pod begins right now.
1:16.1	You're watching Squawk Box on CNBC.
1:19.1	I'm Steve Leasman along with Leslie Picker, and now we've been joined by Contessa Brewer,
1:22.9	Joe Becky, and Andrew.
1:24.1	Well, they're smarter than all three of us.
	...

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