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Arthur Brooks: Stress Makes Life Meaningful
Many of life’s happiest milestones rank among its most stressful.
By Arthur Brooks
02.27.26 — The Pursuit of Happiness with Arthur Brooks
Many of the things we love most are extremely stressful. (Illustration by The Free Press; Tom Tracy Photography/Alamy)
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In Monday’s column, I argued that today’s stress epidemic is largely driven by our screen use. I’ll have a lot more to say on that topic in the next few weeks, because it’s a central theme of my new book, The Meaning of Your Life, which will be released on March 31.

The column provoked reader feedback not only about screen use, but also about ways to low…

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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.
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