Arthur Brooks, a best-selling author and happiness expert from Harvard, explores how to master your mindset to feel happier. He shares his unique journey from musician to professor, emphasizing the importance of embracing discomfort and establishing productive routines. Brooks delves into the components of happiness, the balance between joy and sorrow, and how aging affects our well-being. He also discusses tackling the depression epidemic among young adults and offers practical insights for nurturing resilience and gratitude in daily life.
51:14
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Arthur's Unconventional Path
Arthur Brooks started as a college dropout French horn player, eventually playing professionally.
He later transitioned to academia, earning a bachelor's degree a month before turning 30.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Carnegie Hall Tumble
While public speaking was initially harder than playing the French horn, Arthur's Carnegie Hall debut involved an embarrassing fall into the audience.
He now views it as a sign to explore different paths.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Cross-Training for Excellence
Try doing things you're bad at to improve your strengths. Cross-training outside your area of expertise can enhance overall performance.
This helps identify areas for improvement within your primary skillset.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
In 'Build the Life You Want,' Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey offer a research-based approach to improving one's life by focusing on emotional self-management. The book emphasizes building the four pillars of happiness: family, friendship, work, and faith. It provides practical, science-backed strategies to manage emotions, turn challenges into opportunities, and find inner peace. The authors share their own experiences and those of others who have found joy despite hardships, highlighting the importance of enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose in achieving a happier life.
From Strength to Strength
Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
Arthur C Brooks
In 'From Strength to Strength', Arthur C. Brooks addresses the inevitable decline in abilities that comes with aging and provides a practical guide on how to transform this period into an opportunity for growth. Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks advocates for refocusing on priorities such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress. He argues that by adapting our expectations and focusing on these areas, we can achieve increased happiness and purpose in our later years.
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
Meditations is a series of private writings composed by Marcus Aurelius, one of Rome's greatest emperors, as he struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Written between 170 and 180 CE while on military campaigns, this work combines Stoic philosophy with personal observations on leadership, duty, mortality, and human nature. Through twelve books of intimate thoughts never intended for publication, Marcus Aurelius explores themes of self-improvement, resilience in the face of adversity, and living virtuously while accepting what cannot be changed.
On this week’s episode, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed is joined by best-selling author and happiness expert Arthur Brooks. During the first episode of our How To Series, Will and Arthur discuss how to control your mindset and feel happier. Hear about Arthur’s unconventional background (02:18), the need to become comfortable with the uncomfortable (04:43), key components to setting routine and boosting dopamine (07:25), strivers, happiness, and aging (13:42), intuition and pattern recognition (18:09), breaking down the key components of happiness (20:46), and the importance of embracing unhappiness (25:01). Arthur provides insight on becoming the entrepreneur of your own life (27:45), the balance of unhappiness and happiness (29:55), how aging impacts happiness (33:27), how we need to combat the depression epidemic in young adults (37:40), the key methods to promote happiness (42:50), and how Arthur applies these skills to his own life (47:29).