Doing Well: The Wellbeing Science Insights Podcast

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Kendall Cotton Bronk, Ph.D.: The Power of Purpose to Enhance Well-being | Doing Well #53

May 23, 2024

Guest

Kendall Cotton Bronk

Join Kendall Cotton Bronk, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist and professor at Claremont Graduate University, as she explores the vital role of purpose in enhancing well-being. She shares how young people can uncover and cultivate their sense of purpose, leading to greater fulfillment and resilience. Dive into the difference between hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and discover practical exercises to help identify your own meaningful aims. Kendall’s insights reveal how purpose evolves over a lifetime and why it’s essential for a thriving life.

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insights

INSIGHT

Well‑Being Is Both Personal And Moral

Well-being includes both individual flourishing and contributing to communal welfare.
Purpose uniquely links personal thriving with motivation to give back to others.

insights

INSIGHT

Purpose Fuels Lasting Well‑Being

Hedonic happiness is short-lived while eudaimonic well-being endures.
Purpose fosters eudaimonic well-being because it orients life toward meaningful contribution.

insights

INSIGHT

A Clear Scientific Definition Of Purpose

Purpose has three components: long-term goal, personal meaning, and desire to contribute.
Purpose is a subset of meaning focused on goals that aim to impact the world beyond yourself.

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Why Kendall studies purpose with youth

00:49 • 4min

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Kendall's favorite books and media

04:39 • 3min

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Podcasts and influences

07:51 • 4min

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Defining well-being broadly

11:45 • 4min

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Common misconceptions about well-being

15:29 • 5min

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Scientific definition of purpose

20:19 • 4min

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How purpose enhances well-being

24:35 • 4min

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Perspective and cultivating purpose

28:48 • 2min

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Interviewing as intervention

31:18 • 2min

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Practical exercises to reveal purpose

33:28 • 2min

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Reflection, trying things, and patience

35:12 • 3min

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Purpose evolves across the lifespan

38:32 • 1min

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Kendall's personal purposes

39:43 • 2min

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Kendall's path to researching purpose

41:24 • 4min

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Cultivating purpose: gratitude practice

45:41 • 7min

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Try volunteering and reflect on impact

52:27 • 2min

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Ongoing research projects

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The novel tells the story of Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl, and Werner Pfennig, a German orphan, whose paths converge in occupied France during World War II. Marie-Laure lives in Paris with her father, a locksmith at the Museum of Natural History, and later flees to Saint-Malo with what might be the museum's most valuable and dangerous jewel. Werner, fascinated by radios and science, is enlisted to track the Resistance. The book explores themes of kindness, greed, love, and perseverance amidst the harsh circumstances of war. Doerr's writing is praised for its vivid descriptions, moral complexity, and the way it illuminates the human spirit during times of great hardship.

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The book is divided into two parts. The first part recounts Frankl's harrowing experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, between 1942 and 1945. He describes the inhumane conditions and the psychological and emotional struggles of the prisoners. The second part introduces Frankl's theory of logotherapy, which posits that the primary human drive is the search for meaning, rather than pleasure. Frankl argues that meaning can be found through three main avenues: work (doing something significant), love (caring for another), and suffering (finding meaning in one's own suffering). The book emphasizes the importance of finding purpose and meaning in life, even in the most adverse conditions, as a key factor in survival and personal growth.

Are you feeling lost or uncertain about your path in life? Do you crave a deeper sense of fulfillment and meaning amidst the hustle and bustle of modern-day living? In a world filled with endless distractions and competing demands, it's easy to feel disconnected from our true selves and the things that truly matter.

Unlock the secrets to living a fulfilling life with Kendall Cotton Bronk, Ph.D., as she delves into "The Power of Purpose to Enhance Well-being." She is a distinguished developmental psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University, has dedicated her career to understanding the intricate relationship between purpose and positive youth development.

In this insightful talk, Kendall explores the profound impact of having a sense of purpose on overall well-being. Drawing from her extensive research, she illuminates the ways in which young people discover and cultivate their life purposes, and how these purposes contribute to their growth and flourishing. Through compelling anecdotes and empirical evidence, Kendall reveals the developmental trajectory of youth with strong commitments to their life purposes.

With her expertise in adolescent moral development, Kendall offers valuable insights into how purpose-driven living can lead to greater fulfillment, resilience, and meaning in life. Her research, generously funded by esteemed institutions like the Spencer Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation, has been widely published in academic journals and featured in reputable media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and Forbes Magazine.

Connect with Kendall Cotton Bronk, Ph.D.’s website on http://www.kendallcottonbronk.com/

Produced by the Wellbeing Science Labs, a division of LMSL, the Life Management Science Labs.

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