The good life is painful

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, News, Politics, News Commentary, Philosophy

4.6 • 10.8K Ratings

🗓️ 13 December 2021

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sean Illing talks with psychologist Paul Bloom about his new book The Sweet Spot, and whether it's necessary to experience suffering in order to live a fulfilling, meaningful life. They discuss the rich philosophical history of the question: what does it mean to be happy? They also talk about why some people are drawn to scary movies, whether or not to plug in to the Matrix, and why a good paradigm for a well-lived life might be found in the example of... a stand-up comedian. Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox Guest: Paul Bloom (@paulbloomatyale), psychologist; author References: The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning by Paul Bloom (Ecco; 2021) The Twilight Zone, season 1, episode 28: "A Nice Place to Visit" (1960) "Masochism as escape from self" by Roy Baumeister (Journal of Sex Research, 25 (1); 1988) Anarchy, State, and Utopia by Robert Nozick (Basic Books; 1974); an excerpt on the "experience machine" "If you like it, does it matter if it's real?" by Felipe de Brigard (Philosophical Psychology, 23 (1); 2010) "High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being" by Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton (PNAS; 2010) Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Harper Perennial Modern Classics; 1990) "What Becoming a Parent Really Does to Your Happiness" by Paul Bloom (Atlantic; Nov. 2) "A psychologically rich Life: Beyond happiness and meaning" by Shigehiro Oishi and Erin C. Westgate (Psychological Review; 2021) "Happiness: The Three Traditional Theories" by Martin E.P. Seligman and Ed Royzman (2003) Trying Not to Try: Ancient China, Modern Science, and the Power of Spontaneity by Edward Slingerland (Crown; 2015) Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by: Producer: Erikk Geannikis Editor: Amy Drozdowska Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall Vox Audio Fellow: Victoria Dominguez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You know, when you're staying at an Airbnb, chances are you've wondered,
0:05.0	could I place an Airbnb?
0:07.0	And if it could, what could it earn?
0:10.0	You might not realize it, but you could be sitting in an Airbnb right now.
0:14.0	Like some people Airbnb their whole house when they're away visiting family
0:18.0	or really on any sort of trip.
0:20.0	Just think, you can make enough money to cover plane tickets or some of that trip.
0:25.0	Find out how much your home could be earning at Airbnb.com slash host.
0:29.0	For my next drink, I will combine Toffee, Coffee and Magic.
0:35.0	Behold a Starbucks Toffee Nut Lotte.
0:39.0	Add ice for an iced Toffee Nut Lotte or try the all new Toffee Nut Cream Cold Brew.
0:45.0	Coffee, Toffee, Feltstiff Magic.
0:49.0	Ooh, where was I?
0:52.0	Oh yeah, order for Sam.
0:54.0	Fester Faves are back at Starbucks on Starbucks the livers in the Starbucks UK app.
0:57.0	While Stocks last participating stores, T's and C's apply.
1:00.0	Can we live a good life without suffering?
1:04.0	I'm Sean Elling and I'm your host for Vox Conversations.
1:11.0	Notice that I use the word good and not happy just now.
1:24.0	It doesn't really make any sense to ask whether we can suffer and be happy at the same time.
1:30.0	But can we live a full and meaningful life without certain kinds of suffering?
1:36.0	That's a much harder question.
	...

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