WorkLife: We’re wrong about what makes us happy with Dan Gilbert

Worklife with Adam Grant

TED

Management, Worklife Podcast, Worklife With Adam Grant, Work Life Balance, Ted Talks, Podcast About Work Life, Ted Adam Grant, Adam Grant Podcasts, Ted Podcasts, Adam Grant, Organizational Psychologist, Business

4.8 • 9.4K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What do you think will make you happy next year? According to Dan Gilbert’s research, your guess is probably wrong. Dan is a Harvard psychologist, bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness, and popular TED talker, and he and Adam discuss why it’s so difficult to make accurate predictions about our own future and how to figure out what actually makes us happy. The two also chat about Dan’s experience as a high school dropout-turned-professor, examine why small annoyances might hang around longer than major gripes, and determine the best way to end a conversation.

Follow

Host: Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: adamgrant.net/)

Guest: Daniel Gilbert (X: @DanTGilbert)

Links

Stumbling on Happiness

Subscribe to TED

Instagram: @ted

YouTube: @TED

TikTok: @tedtoks

LinkedIn: @ted-conferences

Website: ted.com

Podcasts: ted.com/podcasts

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/worklife/worklife-with-adam-grant-transcripts

For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.

Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:

TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou

TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, TED Podcast listeners. It's Elise Hugh here from TED Talks Daily. Thanks for making our
0:05.6	podcasts part of your routine. We really appreciate it and we want to make your favorite TED podcasts
0:10.8	even better. We put together a quick survey and we'd love to hear from you. It only takes a few
0:16.9	minutes but it helps us shape our shows and get to know you, our listeners, way better.
0:22.2	Head to the episode description to find the link.
0:25.4	Thank you again for listening and for taking the time to help our shows.
0:32.4	Hi, I'm Peter, colleague at Asda Biddeford. I'm always asked by customers why our prices are so weirdly specific.
0:39.4	That's a good question, Peter.
0:40.8	Like this 130 grand pack of Asda shredded iceberg lattice.
0:44.3	See, 48p?
0:45.8	That's because at ASDA, we believe in passing on the pennies wherever we can.
0:50.1	To help you save the pounds.
0:52.1	Now that's good, honest value.
0:54.3	That's ASda Price.
0:56.4	Selected stores subject to availability may exclude Asda Express and small stores.
1:00.5	See asda.com slash small stores.
1:02.5	Breaking up is never easy.
1:04.2	But saying goodbye to your old clunky work tools, well, that's easy.
1:08.5	Just repeat after me.
1:09.8	It's not me.
1:11.1	It's definitely you.
1:12.9	You rigid, unfriendly software.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.