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Arthur Brooks: Happiness Lessons from a Miserable Wretch
“People were interested in the science of happiness for the very same reason I was: They were struggling.” (Illustration by The Free Press; images via Getty)
I chose to study happiness because I was failing at it. Now I’m joining The Free Press to share what actually works.
By Arthur Brooks
01.05.26 — The Pursuit of Happiness with Arthur Brooks
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What is the secret to happiness? We’d like to believe there’s a silver bullet. That we can snap our fingers and dispel every source of despair, every tragedy, every inexplicably unfair event in the news. That the next app, the next pill, the next book, the next dietary restriction will finally quiet the crisis of meaning lurking beneath the freneticism …

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Arthur Brooks
Arthur C. Brooks is a social scientist and one of the world’s leading authorities on human happiness. He is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, Free Press columnist, CBS News contributor, and host of the podcast Office Hours. From 2009 to 2019, he served as president of the American Enterprise Institute. His books have been translated into dozens of languages and include the No. 1 New York Times bestsellers Build the Life You Want (co-authored with Oprah Winfrey) and From Strength to Strength. His next book, The Meaning of Your Life, is available March 31, 2026. You can learn more at www.TheMeaningOfYourLife.com. He lives with his family in Virginia.
Tags:
Psychology
Ideas
Community
Science
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