The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Moment 151: Neuroscientist Reveals The 3 Things You Need To Do For A Fulfilling Life: Tali Sharot

Mar 1, 2024

Featuring Tali Sharot, a renowned neuroscientist from University College London, this conversation dives deep into what truly makes life fulfilling. She argues that happiness is merely one piece of the puzzle, with meaning and a ‘psychologically rich life’ as crucial components. Tali emphasizes the importance of exploration and variety in our experiences. The discussion also touches on the balance between comfort and uncertainty and how optimism can drive positive actions in both personal and professional realms.

15:01

Episode guests

Tali Sharot

AI Summary

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Happiness, meaning, and variety are the 3 key factors for a fulfilling life according to neuroscientist Tali Sharot.

Exploration and diversity play vital roles in personal growth and societal progress, encouraging individuals to step out of their comfort zones.

Deep dives

Reevaluation of Happiness as a Fundamental Aspect of Life

While researching for his current book on happiness, the speaker, together with his co-author, discovered a shift in their perspective regarding happiness. Originally believing that happiness was the ultimate goal in life, they now acknowledge that happiness is just one of three factors that matter, alongside meaning and variety. This reevaluation indicates that individuals may pursue activities not solely for happiness but also for meaning and diversity, highlighting a more nuanced approach to well-being.

Enhancing Optimism and Control

02:22

The Three Factors of a Good Life

01:25

Intro

2min

Exploration and the Pursuit of Happiness

5min

Navigating the Fear of Uncertainty: Embracing Change for a Better Life

2min

Understanding the Power of Hope and Optimism in Driving Action

1min

Empowering Choices: The Key to Enhancing Team Optimism

3min

In this moment, neuroscientist, Professor Tali Sharot, discusses why happiness is not the most important thing in life, and actually it is just 1 of 3 critical factors for a complete life. Most people think that the meaning of life for humans is to try and find the maximum amount of happiness, however this just factor one. Tali says that the second factor is meaning. Often in your life you do a task not because it will give you happiness but because it gives you a sense of completeness that comes from meaning. Finally, Tali says that we need what is called a ‘psychological rich life’, which is basically a varied life. She says that this diversity in life is absolutely crucial as humans have evolved to have a desire to explore and face uncertainty.

Listen to the full episode here -

Apple - https://g2ul0.app.link/UxbjZ8pxAHb

Spotify - https://g2ul0.app.link/gfyuxwlxAHb

Watch the Episodes On Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/%20TheDiaryOfACEO/videos

Tali:

https://affectivebrain.com/?page_id=161

You can pre-order Dr. Sharot’s new book, ‘Look Again: The Power of Noticing What was Always There’, here: https://amzn.to/3SEbVp5

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices