Happiness Isn't a Feeling, It's a Direction with Arthur Brooks

In The Happiness Trap, therapist and life coach Russ Harris argues that humans are hardwired to relentlessly pursue happiness. But this instinct makes us miserable today, leading to widespread anxiety, stress, and depression. We’re caught in a happiness trap, where the harder we try to be happy, the less happy we become.

Harris contends the answer to happiness and fulfillment is practicing the techniques of ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The techniques—rooted in behavioral psychology and mindfulness—help you escape the happiness trap by accepting painful thoughts and emotions as part of life, while clarifying and living your values.

In this guide, we’ll explain ACT techniques—connection with the “observing self,” defusion, expansion, connection, values clarification, and committed action—and compare them to other therapies and practices. We’ll also provide additional exercises and techniques beyond Harris’s for practicing mindfulness in everyday life.

Do you look forward to a time when you’ll be happier? In Happier, Harvard professor and positive psychology expert Tal Ben-Shahar argues that greater happiness is accessible to everyone now. He argues that happiness is not an end goal, but an ongoing journey.

Ben-Shahar addresses common misconceptions and offers practical strategies to cultivate happiness in our everyday lives. In this guide, we’ll explore Ben-Shahar’s definition of happiness and consider ways in which people often get the pursuit of happiness wrong. We’ll discuss why happiness is a worthy cause and provide practical strategies to help you prioritize your happiness. Throughout the guide, we’ll supplement Ben-Shahar’s advice with research in the field of positive psychology and additional insights from authors like Catherine Price (The Power of Fun), Nicholas Carr (The Shallows), and Desmond Tutu and the 14th Dalai Lama (The Book of Joy).

We take it as a given that we want to be happy, but how do we achieve happiness, or even define it? Derren Brown suggests that the answers can be found in the teachings of the ancient Greek philosophers for whom the quest for a happy, well-lived life was a practical problem to be solved. Brown says that by adopting a philosophy based on those of the Stoics and Epicureans, we can lead thoughtful, balanced, and more well-rounded lives.

As a magician, Brown isn’t a stereotypical self-help guru. However, his understanding of how stories misdirect us led to his belief that we can reshape our own narratives to be happy in the here and now while maintaining a positive outlook toward our own mortality. This guide will examine Brown’s definition of happiness and the philosophical building blocks he claims can achieve it. We’ll compare Brown’s ideas to those of modern psychology and contrast his views with those of other happiness experts, some of whom he argues directly against.

Do you look forward to a time when you’ll be happier? In Happier, Harvard professor and positive psychology expert Tal Ben-Shahar argues that greater happiness is accessible to everyone now. He argues that happiness is not an end goal, but an ongoing journey.

Ben-Shahar addresses common misconceptions and offers practical strategies to cultivate happiness in our everyday lives. In this guide, we’ll explore Ben-Shahar’s definition of happiness and consider ways in which people often get the pursuit of happiness wrong. We’ll discuss why happiness is a worthy cause and provide practical strategies to help you prioritize your happiness. Throughout the guide, we’ll supplement Ben-Shahar’s advice with research in the field of positive psychology and additional insights from authors like Catherine Price (The Power of Fun), Nicholas Carr (The Shallows), and Desmond Tutu and the 14th Dalai Lama (The Book of Joy).

The Happiness Hypothesis explores the nature of human happiness, blending the philosophical and theological wisdom of ancient thinkers with insights from the field of positive psychology. Our satisfaction is driven by how our mental filters interpret the events in our lives, with the human brain perpetually divided against itself in the struggle between the desires created by our emotions and the attempts of reason to control them. The key to happiness is to use reason to focus the mind away from desires that will only bring fleeting happiness, while giving in to those desires that will bring lasting fulfillment.

According to Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of online clothing retailer Zappos, happiness is good for business. Happy employees work harder and more efficiently, and happy customers spend more money. So how can you make your customers and employees happier and maximize profits? In Delivering Happiness, Hsieh says the answer lies in implementing three principles: Encourage a healthy business culture, provide great customer service, and invest in continuing education.

In this guide, we’ll explore each of these principles, how to implement them, and how they turned Zappos into a billion-dollar company in a decade. Along the way, we’ll compare Hsieh’s ideas with those of other business experts like Jim Collins (Good to Great) and psychologists like Jonathan Haidt (The Happiness Hypothesis). Finally, we’ll explore the psychology behind happiness and why Hsieh’s dedication to cultivating it led to his success.

Everyone wants to find true happiness in their lives, but many of us believe that happiness can only come from experiencing huge changes—such as a trip around the world or a lottery jackpot. But, as it turns out, you can change everything...without changing much at all.

In The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin explains how resolving to make the smallest of changes in your everyday life—using the “good” dishes, remembering friends’ birthdays, or singing in the morning—can translate into more vivid memories, stronger relationships, and a deeper sense of happiness and gratitude in your life.

In The Happiness Trap, therapist and life coach Russ Harris argues that humans are hardwired to relentlessly pursue happiness. But this instinct makes us miserable today, leading to widespread anxiety, stress, and depression. We’re caught in a happiness trap, where the harder we try to be happy, the less happy we become.

Harris contends the answer to happiness and fulfillment is practicing the techniques of ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The techniques—rooted in behavioral psychology and mindfulness—help you escape the happiness trap by accepting painful thoughts and emotions as part of life, while clarifying and living your values.

In this guide, we’ll explain ACT techniques—connection with the “observing self,” defusion, expansion, connection, values clarification, and committed action—and compare them to other therapies and practices. We’ll also provide additional exercises and techniques beyond Harris’s for practicing mindfulness in everyday life.

Western culture is steeped in individualism, the worldview that encourages you to pursue individual happiness and prizes personal freedom as the highest societal good. But, according to cultural commentator David Brooks, this individualist worldview breeds selfishness and deprives your life of greater meaning. Consequently, he argues that you should embrace relationalism—the worldview that prioritizes selflessness and service to others—to lead a deeply fulfilling life.

In his 2019 book, The Second Mountain, Brooks details his own experiences to explain why the relationalist approach to life is more satisfying than its individualist counterpart. Along the way, he outlines the four commitments that are crucial to relationalism—your vocation, marriage, community, and belief system—and provides actionable steps to making these commitments.

In this guide, we’ll discuss Brooks’s distinction between individualism and relationalism, followed by a foray into the four commitments that constitute relationalist living. Throughout the guide, we’ll also discuss additional strategies for making Brooks’s commitments and examine counterarguments about the importance of these commitments.