The Three Equations for a Happy Life, Even During a Pandemic” in “The Atlantic.” I generally don’t like his work as he is a religious and political ideologue. He was president for a decade of the ultra-conservative American Enterprise Institute, and he was converted to Catholicism after he believed the Virgin Mary appeared to him. I’m not kidding. Continue reading Arthur C. Brooks: “Three Equations for a Happy Life”
“Category Archives: Happiness
Happiness and the Meaning of Life
Happiness and meaning while connected, don’t seem to be the same thing. We can imagine a paradigmatic meaningful life that is unhappy and vice versa. For example, one might seek truth, do good things, or produce beauty—paradigms of meaningful lives—and still be unhappy. Or one might have health, wealth, friends, and knowledge—things associated with happy lives—and yet live a meaningless life, Continue reading Happiness and the Meaning of Life
Summary of the Harvard Grant Study: Triumphs of Experience
A Harvard study followed 268 undergraduates from the classes of 1938-1940 for 75 years, regularly collecting data on various aspects of their lives. The findings were reported in a recent book by the Harvard psychiatrist George Vaillant: Continue reading Summary of the Harvard Grant Study: Triumphs of Experience
William James: Once Born and Twice Born People
William James, in his famous book The Varieties of Religious Experience, drew a contrast between what he calls “once born” and the “twice born” people. Once born people appear biologically predisposed to happiness. Continue reading William James: Once Born and Twice Born People
The Positive Effect of Nature
A colleague recently sent me a link to an article which claims that having nature in your surroundings extends life and increases happiness. Continue reading The Positive Effect of Nature