ReThinking We’re wrong about what makes us happy with Dan Gilbert
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Apr 8, 2025 
Dan Gilbert, a Harvard psychologist and bestselling author of 'Stumbling on Happiness', reveals that our predictions about what will make us happy are often misguided. He shares his transformative journey from high school dropout to professor and discusses how major life events might not affect our happiness as much as we think. The conversation also explores the impact of minor annoyances on our emotional well-being, the importance of relationships over achievements, and offers clever insights on navigating personal conversations for greater fulfillment.
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Dropout and Return
- Dan Gilbert dropped out of high school in the early 70s after becoming disillusioned with formal education.
- He hitchhiked, played music, and became a science fiction writer before returning to school.
Happiness Research Origin
- Dan Gilbert's interest in happiness research stemmed from a lunch conversation with a friend.
- Both experienced difficult times, yet were coping well, sparking the question of how we predict happiness.
Impact and Adaptation
- People overestimate the impact of negative events.
- Humans adapt to new situations, including traumatic ones, often returning to their baseline happiness.
