Laurie Santos & Arthur C. Brooks: What Science & Spirit Say About True Happiness

Today, we hear about human happiness from two of the world’s foremost researchers on the subject: Dr. Laurie Santos and Dr. Arthur Brooks. Each of the researchers shares what they see as the ingredients to a flourishing life. Santos and Brooks agree that a sense of meaning and purpose is essential to human happiness. Neither Brooks nor Santos ties happiness and flourishing to material comfort or to personal achievement. Rather, they emphasize that the investment we make in relationships with others, and in the relationship we have with ourselves, are the key factors encouraging well-being. To Brooks, “The main dishes at the happiness meal are faith, family, friends, and work. And what these things all have in common is love. Love for the divine, love for family, love through friendship.”

Dr. Santos hosts The Happiness Lab, a podcast “that will forever alter the way you think about happiness.” She’s also a Professor of Psychology at Yale University and teacher of one of the most popular classes ever in Yale history: The Happiness Class, which tries to give students the keys to happiness and satisfaction. Dr. Brooks is a Harvard professor, social scientist, prolific bestselling author, and columnist at The Atlantic.

Learn more:

• Laurie Santos
• The Happiness Lab podcast
• Arthur C. Brooks

• Catch the video edition of this episode here: Adversity and Resilience in Human Flourishing
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