I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of the most

valuable gifts you can give yourself is time. Taking time to be more fully present. Your journey

to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right now.

When you meet Sean Acor, there's no doubt this happiness expert is a happy guy.

He's a Harvard-trained expert in a relatively new field called Positive Psychology, which is

essentially the study of happiness. His TED Talk

has been viewed more than 7 million times. In it, he turned the old equation between success

and happiness on its head. With his unique blend of science and spirituality, Sean believes

happiness is a choice. He says it is about tapping into what really

matters to you, what we all really long for, and deciding to make happiness a true pursuit.

And while Sean appears to be one of those people who was just born happy, you might be surprised

to find out he has lived through some very dark days.

It was when he was at Harvard studying religion that he first learned about other faiths and traditions.

For Sean, who had grown up in a sheltered conservative home, discovering that there were many

people in the world who had different paths to God rocked not only the

foundation of his faith, but his very being. Suddenly he began questioning everything, and

he was no longer certain what he knew for sure, and it broke him wide open.

So you weren't always happy. You went through a period where you were depressed, actually, in college.

I did. I went through two years of depression myself. And I think depression for everyone...

Like real depression.

Yeah, real depression. I mean, I lost... I'm a skinny person naturally. I lost, you know, 20 pounds from where I am right now.

I... It was crept up on me.

...