The U-Shaped Curve of Happiness

The Art of Manliness

Society & Culture, Education, Philosophy

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 18 April 2022

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you're someone who's a decade or two out from your high school graduation, do you ever find yourself thinking that you're just not as happy as you were back then? Of course all the positive-thinking self-talk then kicks in and you think, "Well, maybe I actually wasn't that happy before. I do like my life better now. I like the independence I have. Yeah, yeah, I really like being an adult." Yet, no matter the glass-half-full glow you try to put on things, you can't shake the feeling that your happiness has declined over the years, that at 30, you weren't as happy as you were at 20, and that at 40, you weren't as happy as you were when you were 30.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm not sure if you're still a kid.
0:07.4	Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast.
0:10.5	If you're someone who's a decade or two out from your high school graduation, do you
0:14.0	refine yourself thinking that you're just not as happy as you were back then?
0:17.1	Of course, all the positive thinking self-talk thing kicks in, you think, well, maybe I
0:20.7	actually wasn't that happy before.
0:22.6	I do like my life better now.
0:24.2	I like the end of Pinnits I have.
0:25.7	Yeah, yeah.
0:26.7	I really like being an adult.
0:28.0	Yet no matter the glass half full glow you try to put on things, you can't shake the
0:31.4	feeling that your happiness has declined over the years.
0:33.9	That at 30, you weren't as happy as you were at 20, and that at 40, you weren't as happy
0:37.7	as you were when you were 30.
0:39.2	Well that feeling is more than an nostalgic hunch and is not unique to you.
0:42.5	It's actually been borne out by hundreds of research papers and studies and shown to be
0:45.8	a near-universal experience.
0:47.7	My guest today is authored many of those papers.
0:49.6	His name is Dr. David Branchflower.
0:50.8	He's a labor economist who not only studies data around money and jobs, but also around
0:54.9	human happiness.
0:55.9	Today on the show, David explains how happiness follows a use-shaped curve, starts declining
	...

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