Wellness Check: Happiness expert Arthur Brooks on why we're all so desperately chasing down happiness
Next Question with Katie Couric
iHeartPodcasts
4.4 • 4.4K Ratings
🗓️ 15 August 2024
⏱️ 51 minutes
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Summary
This episode is presented by Midi Health, a virtual care clinic dedicated to providing expert menopause and perimenopause care to women in midlife.
On this episode, Katie explores the subject of happiness. Because as a culture, we seem to be obsessed with achieving it. Just look to higher ed. Some of the most elite universities tout courses on happiness — the science of it, the value of it, the history and future of it. But the search for happiness has also seeped into our regular podcast consumption and our must-watch TV shows.
So what’s the deal? Why is happiness the carrot dangling just outside of our reach? And what defines happiness anyway? To find out, Katie talks with one of those aforementioned happiness scholars, Arthur C. Brooks, whose most recent book is called “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.”
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Transcript
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| 0:12.9 | Hi, it's Katie. Welcome to Wellness Check, our series of some of our favorite next question episodes focused on women's health and wellness, presented in partnership with the menopause experts at Midi health. Book your virtual visit today at join MIDI.com. |
| 0:16.4 | That's join Midi.com. |
| 0:19.5 | Enjoy. |
| 0:27.0 | Hi everyone, I'm Katie Couric and this is next question. Today we're going to be exploring happiness because we seem to be obsessed with that as a culture. |
| 0:34.0 | Just look to higher ed. Some of the most elite universities tout courses on happiness, |
| 0:38.8 | the science of it, the value of it, the history and future of it. There are podcasts about happiness, |
| 0:45.5 | whole genres of earnest TV shows built to temporarily evoke it. I'm looking at you Ted Lasso. |
| 0:52.3 | Why are we all so smitten with happiness? |
| 0:55.0 | Is it because the world is burning? |
| 0:57.0 | Because we're doom scrolling? |
| 0:59.0 | Because the internet makes us want what we can't have. |
| 1:03.4 | Let's find out, my guest today is none other |
| 1:05.9 | than happiness expert and one of those aforementioned |
| 1:09.1 | happiness scholars, Arthur C. Brooks. |
| 1:12.2 | Arthur also writes a regular column for the Atlantic on happiness |
| 1:16.0 | and his most recent book is called |
| 1:18.0 | From Strength to Strength, |
| 1:20.0 | Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep purpose in the second half of life. |
| 1:25.0 | Here's our conversation. |
| 1:27.3 | With all due respect, Arthur, what makes you qualified and what makes you an expert on happiness? |
| 1:39.0 | Yeah, so I am a PhD social scientist that I have studied behavioral economics and as social |
| 1:45.0 | psychological principles my entire career. I started off by studying beauty and |
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