Harvard Professor Answers Happiness Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- Harvard professor and "How to Build a Life" columnist Arthur C. Brooks answers the internet's burning questions about "happiness." Does anyone else feel depression after completing a goal? Can social media cause depression? Do we get happier as we age? What is the true meaning of happiness? Arthur answers all these questions and much more.
For more on Arthur Brooks, you can find a copy of his New York Times Best Selling book, From Strength to Strength at your favorite book retailers nationwide and on Amazon.com.
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Director: Justin Wolfson
Director of Photography: Jim Petit
Editor: Louville Moore
Expert: Arthur C. Brooks
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Brandon White
Production Manager: Eric Martinez
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Talent Booker: Mica Medoff
Camera Operator: Dan Jacobs
Audio: Tim Haggerty
Production Assistant: Conner Pennington
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
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Whoever his students are, they're lucky to have him.
yeah, the lucky bastards
I mean,they go to harvard,they've already beeen blessed with wealthy parents...
His online course at Havard is free!
@@Alezandrcourse name please!
Honestly was just thinking that
I love this professor's attitude and his way of speaking. Incredibly engaging. This video went by too fast
some loser at wired deleted my comment. this professor only preaches mumbo jumbo and pseudo science. how embarassing. he is so smug too
Right?! Flew by.
Facts.
He has a great interview on Diary of a CEO!
“you beat fear by experiencing the fear and making it ordinary- and it will no longer be a ghost” gotta be one of my favorite piece of advice ever
If you make friends with monsters, they're no longer monsters.
It resonated with me as well especially since I had read about some Stoic ideas and one of them was about 'memento mori'.
Its the idea behind trauma therapy. Its scary at first but very effective
@@hurdygurdy1734 yesss I love stoicism....remember your death really makes me remember to be present
Exposure therapy at its finest!
i want at least 8 more episodes with this person! NOW
i know right? He's awesome
Same! im so inspired right now
He's got a ton of free stuff online
You're supposed to be grateful for what you have. Didn't you pay attention?
me too!! hes great
The only thing I feel good about having an awful childhood is that I can be grateful for literally everything. I’m living a normal life, but my gratitude is just unstoppable.
Same! I love stories about rescued animals, and can relate. They knew what they had before, and can more poignantly appreciate what they have now. That’s me.
I feel the same. I'm grateful for having my extremities, for having a roof, eating everyday, sleeping in a clean bed, taking a shower... So simple
So happy for you guys. What I'm wondering about though is that he tells us to update our gratitude lists weekly. It gave me instant anxiety about what if I have nothing new to be grateful for the week after...
@@Piotrmiko Just start the list. You don’t have to come up with 5 New things every time. Weekly, look at them, appreciate, and replace 1 or more if needed. You’ll start with the big things, but then learn to appreciate the little ones, even in hard times, such as kreles’ extremities.
@@Piotrmiko That’s def understandable. That said, I thought the same thing flowers NYC suggested. Write down what feels true to you - maybe it’ll be 1 thing, maybe it’ll be 12 things. The next week might bring zero things, or there might be loads of overlap/repetition. I think the key is to *think* about it and take stock; you don’t have to feign gratitude. Something will come to mind eventually. :)
This man did not stammer or have any vocal disfluencies throughout this video. So impressive, what a speaker!
Well there are plenty of cuts. Have you experienced Jordan Peterson?
He is a wonderful speaker, but he is human like the rest of us - to note: 10:46 when he starts going into my favorite part of the video he does use a filler, then 11:05 he does a repetition. I noticed cause I played through this portion a couple of times not cause it bothered me or anything.
Lots of practice 😂
Me: rip
@@drcl7429 SO many cuts ✂️
One of the most intelligent and accurate psychology interviews I've seen. So incredibly accurate. He explains vastly deep concepts rather quickly, I paused a few times just to realize how accurate they all are.
Then clearly you have no idea what you're talking about. This guy is so incredibly smug and vain it hurts to watch. Ooh la di da I am a Harvard professor and now listen to my mumbo jumbo and quackery
I got to the end of the video and the immediately rewatched it.
Ahh yes, because ‘you’re a limbic person’ is so neurologically accurate…
As someone in psych, I've nearly slept through better biopsychology lectures. That nucleus accumbens and blue spot sure are fascinating. The main place he lost the script was when he low key pushed the myth of hemispheric specialization, i.e. "left brain" vs "right brain." Our brain hemispheres do uptake a certain level of dominance over certain tasks, but which side has the larger focus to what isn't absolute and no task or category of tasks is unilaterally dedicated to whichever hemisphere over the other like the "math is the right brain and writing is the left" type comments people spirt off.
@@custos3249 I agree with you but believe he should get the benefit of the doubt. Because, as @JointSnipe said, "He explains vastly deep concepts rather quickly". I suggest this for two reasons: first is a comment he made; second is the amount of cutting/video editing.
The comment's around 2:45, he says, "... the brain, kinda, is in three parts. It's not exactly this way but just for reference ...". Having talked to researchers (I'm not one) who love to and are good at explaining their research, they often constantly repeat similar phrases. Such as, "For the purpose of this explanation ...", "to keep this short ...", "I'll make it more simpler than it is ...", etc. And this I believe ties in with that second reason, the video editing.
Consider the amount of times the visual video is cut and then pieced together. It's normal for a professionally edited video with the goal of making a short & snappy vid. But I imagine (i.e. I'm just making it up) is how much he's probably "it's kinda ... but it's not exactly ... but just for ..." to the point where the editor(s) said, "rather than make it a drinking game, let's edit it". But, lucky for me, they left one in.
In short, I agree with you. He seemed to push the myth of hemispheric specialisation. However, he should get the benefit of the editing doubt. I believe Brooks & the Wired team have a great vid here. If this were 20+ minutes, I wouldn't have watched it, let alone watch it several times, then googled the brain hemispheres stuff, then realise he (like others) oversimplified the explanation for a lay audience (like me) on CZcams.
He seems happy to explain happiness, which makes me happy.
Meta
I figured out "nothing lasts" as a kid and honestly it's the single greatest lesson I ever learned. Life hasn't been easy all the time, but... it never lasted. Easier times always came along. Those didn't last either, but there were always positive things to be leaned on even during harder times. It's all cyclical and nothing lasts, so don't sweat it if things aren't the way you'd prefer them to be, eventually they will be... and then they won't be again. Oh well. Read books, pet dogs, watch a sunset, appreciate the moments you have and keep those memories close during the times you don't have those things.
How is that reassuring?
@@leonore3349 A while back the wife of one of my friends got into painting rocks. She painted things like ladybugs or bunnies or flowers on them. One day she insisted that my friend and I each paint one too. My friend painted a bunny on his rock. I painted a bird skull and I wrote, "Nothing lasts forever" on my rock. She hasn't asked me to paint any more rocks.
Whenever someone within earshot of me complains about something, I like to say, "Well, the good news is that some day we'll all be dead." It's a reminder that in the grand arc of history, our problems are trivial and dwelling on them is a waste of living. This sentiment is almost never received how it is intended.
@@randybugger3006 I think that might be because reducing a person’s entire reality down to the truth that they will die is a bit… simple, right? Like yeah you’re speaking the truth, but when you’re in the middle of a crisis hearing that might have the opposite effect. Not because they are being irrational and not because what you’re saying isn’t true, it’s just that they cant actually appreciate what you were saying. So maybe… some people just don’t want to hear what we have to say? Or maybe they aren’t the right people to be talking to?
Your rock was awesome, but I think she might have been painting rocks to make herself happy and maybe not consider her imminent mortality.
Some people find that uncomfortable. Not me, I think the heat death of the universe is an ultimately extremely comforting idea. But I understand why people don’t want to stare directly into the sun (the sun being death/mortality). Idk. if this wasn’t helpful just disregard it, what do I actually know anyways? (Nothing)
@@leonore3349 you missed the entire point
@@leonore3349This. I've also realised early in my life that nothing lasts forever. My own life and others' lives have shown me that. But what my life has also shown me is that the good parts are too brief and the bad or even neutral parts last way more. So what's the point? 😂
His first answer already confirmed a suspicion I’ve had a long time. I’ve not felt happiness in 8+ years, but I’ve definitely been without unhappiness for some time. It’s just nothing makes me happy anymore, so now i just avoid things that make me unhappy. They are two separate emotions.
just play Fortnite, bro, you'll be happy then
I love that he gives concrete advice, not just explaining answers to questions. Some of these really helped me open my eyes to certain questions and dilemmas in my life currently
This professor is so real. He gives you the wake up call but is still so respectful and engaging about it. What a legend
I've found it incredibly helpful over the last year or two to stop worrying so much about all the time I'm "wasting". If I spend too much of my mental energy focused on how to make the most out of every second I live, I just get frustrated at life. Instead, if I try to enjoy the little things (even just a quick drive somewhere, the peace and quiet of that experience), I'm not constantly frustrated.
Good point. I'm still caught in that trap often. I don't want to be bored and don't want to waste time. Which results in a lot of (social) media. Just to be "doing" something.
A fantastic human being! Thank you professor!
Very interesting how sadness and happiness are controlled by different areas of the brain. Thanks for the insight!
I agree! Just because you're less unhappy, won't then automatically make you more happy.... the way he explained it was very good
You better bring this man back soon. I loved hearing him, very insightful and clearly cultured as well
10:52 "Mindfulness is hard because we're time travelers." Been dealing with temporal angst for sometime. It just fascinates me that I can be on my way to a place or event and be kind of annoyed that I'm not already there. Most recently, I've been dealing with it by imagining that I am both on my way and already there at the same time. After all, time is just another dimension.
Ours brains are definitely funny. He mentions Thich Nhat Hanh, and in one of his books he talks about our crazy approach where maybe we’re waiting all day to go out for dinner and then at dinner are thinking about the next day or the next dinner vs enjoying the thing we were waiting for.
There is also walking meditation where you treat walking not as a means to an end but as something in and of itself. With practice, even if you are going somewhere, can try to focus more on the walk itself and how it feels and what you’re seeing, vs where you’re going.
This type of teacher and data should be offered freely to the world indefinitely.
It is! And it will continue to be.
About the thumb nail question, I guess to counter that feeling you should think like "ok, I reached my goal, Im a little bit happier than I was before and thats ok."
We should always keep getting "a little bit happier" with each goal and not dump all of our happiness in one of them.
Thank you for posting this.
He didn't really answer what the question was asking as it asked about achievement and he answered about acquirement. I was hoping for an answer in regards to the achievement aspect.
I'd really like to have him as a professor - his entertaining speaking style makes me happy!
This developing the skill of meta-cognition, that's the core of Buddhist practice for me. He basically just described my understanding of Buddhism in secular, scientific language. 10/10 can recommend meta-cognition, don't be a passive passenger on an emotional traintrack, decide to make better choices than simply responding to your emotions or preferences. Happiness is an attitude you bring to your experience, not what you extract out of it.
I understand the sentiment but for me there's a real danger of dissociation and pretence if I decide to put my emotions aside.
Btw, he's Catholic, and he's great!
You should read the Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
So, in a nutshell, stoicism.
if i had this guy as a professor, i would be engaged everytime!
I think one of the silver linings of having mental illness during adolescence is that, if you get the right treatment and make it through, you gain an amount of wisdom and mental resilience that takes most people decades and decades to acquire through normal experience. I have friends I met in treatment who are 10-20 years older than me, in completely different life stages, but I'm more mentally comparable to them than I am people my age (in their early-mid 20s)
I feel the same! Also in my mid twenties
This brought so much awareness to me in a time of need. Currently going through an existential crisis like he describes in 5:46. Love when stuff like this shows up at the right time.
synchronicities :)
might be a good time to look into Islam, just gonna drop this here lol... I know it brought me out of my existential crisis!
@@sarahhamdan5470 Based.
Glad to hear someone really smart spread out the word about being a more conscious person and to practice this idea on a day to day basis, that's really needed in the world ✌
Happiness, is having something positive to look forward to. The anxiety once you achieve a goal is the need to replace it with something else to look forward to
@Tamer I bet I do ... scummer
Unless you lean towards variety, then goals became less important
@@CrisOnTheInternet I’m not sure what you mean Cris
@@rezadaneshi learn several things without the need of specialization, without a deadline, a finish product, just for the sake of exploring.
@@engineeringartist4801 🙃
Remarkable professor. I loved this and thoroughly enjoyed listening to him. Please bring him back
So articulate, so certain. How lucky to be his student
I am just blown away at the moment at how insightful this was!
I keep rewinding bits of the video because I love his mannerism, of how he reads, reacts, and responds to the questions. I love the way he speaks, his tone, his gestures, along with the editing, makes this video so engaging. I love how he references different things and come up with incredibly relatable examples. I was surprised when he was wrapping up the video, that such an enjoyable time has ended so abruptly, but I have not had enough of it.
I agree with you about his mannerisms and way of speaking. He reminds me of someone, but I'm not sure whom.
Good summary of the key happiness findings. I would revise one remark though: there are a few studies showing that tourists are actually happier when they take photos than when they do not. It is probably because the social interaction in photographing, and increased appreciation/savoring of whatever they are seeing, outweighs the (probably slight) reduction in mindfulness during the vacation as a whole.
That was, very simply, quite beautiful. Something to rewatch when I ain't so preoccupied and can be mindful of it, and to watch again for the joy of it.
after watching the video, i concluded that the key (or maybe one of it) of happiness is you have to *decide* that you're happy. like telling yourself "this is enough, i'm happy" and be aware of it. his explanation about prefrontal cortex made me think that way. so, it's more logical rather than emotional since we have to ponder and process until we arrive to the conclusion: "i'm happy." interesting.
4:56 the macronutrients of happiness
9:12 homeostasis in emotion
This is… kind of what I needed right now. Such a well-spoken and entertaining professor
"If you're feeling like life doesn't have enough purpose, answer the following two questions: 1. Why am I alive? 2. And for what would I be willing to die? If you don't have an answer to one your going to have an existential crisis. And you need to go in search with your life of an answer to those two questions."
Thank you so much for this. It is so simple yet so hard. C'est la vie~
I never had an answer to those questions. I wonder if most people do.
How do I start even searching for an answer for these?
@@piketteo6911 I think you search for an answer by living and reflecting on your life. Which doesn't mean you'll get an answer. I think most people with kids would find their answers in those. It's perfectly possible not to have this kind of certainty and still be content with your life. You can even turn the search into your reason for being alive, if you want.
Kinda stupid questions. "Why am I alive?" Because I was born. "For what would I be willing to die?". Nothing. Why should anybody want to die? Seems more like a fanatic behaviour or just an illusion you try to create to calm yourself down. Maybe pursuit of happiness isn't even the best goal.
@@stravvman well then if you're willing to die for nothing, would that not mean that you are staying alive for everything???? is that not some kind of purpose?
I'm rewatching this over and over. Really engaging and therapeutic. ❤ Thank you Wired and Arthur!
So eloquent and knowledgeable. Wish we had teachers and professors like these.
He is amaaazing at breaking something that is neurologically and philosophically very complicated down and wording it easy to understand.
One of the best interviews I have watched! I have always pondered my own expectation and expectation of others on many things like career, financial value, ethics and politics, but I have never been able to lay out a system for happiness in this way. After all, it is the happiness that primarily drives us all. Love the actionable ideas too.
Loved this segment and it's really what I need in this stage of my life. Hope he comes back on soon!!
This has to be one of, if not THE MOST informative and interesting videos I have ever watched. Mr. Brooks is an immensely charismatic and charming person, his students are the luckiest people on Earth. Thank you!
First time hearing about Arthur Brooks, and wow he is a fascinating, highly conscientious individual. This video alone holds so much truth that he was able to articulate well, there were a lot of hidden life patterns here that many take for granted at an intuitive level, and here he was able to intentionally bring them to the surface for us. This was a great demonstration of how self-realized he is in this process of the moment to create meaningful change in this experience we call life. Thank you for sharing your wisdom :)
He's wearing two watches.
The key to happiness is being able to tell time twice as fast 😎💪
😂
Whenever I hear "Harvard" now all I think about is their medical school selling peoples donated bodies for science to creepy dead body part "artists"
Satisfaction bias
One is a Fitbit
I am eternally grateful for this free therapy session. Thanks Professor!
Such a mesmerizing professor. Please bring him again. This was thoroughly enjoying and insightful.
Probably one of the best videos on youtube history. The knowledge shared here can change one life. So much to digest and to dig further.
When you study happiness, you quickly learn that we have built a society that is a near perfect enemy to it.
What a lesson. I will always rewatch it.
I actually feel kind of lucky because my childhood and teenage years were quite miserable, but now in my early 20s I've somehow managed to come out on the other side. I'm a better and happier person because I had to learn how to cultivate happiness, compassion, gratitude, etc. etc. in order to heal, and I've already learned so much about life. Sometimes I remember where I was and where I am now, and just thinking about it fills me with so much joy and gratitude because I managed to get out of that dark place.
The gratefulness journaling is indeed a life changer. Been doing this for years now and noticed severe shift in my perception of my environment and experiences :)
I can't put into words how much I needed this.
Cannot wait for part two, such an engaging presence.
Full of wisdom. I feel happier just having listened to this professor. Thank you.
I listened to Arthur's episode on Petter Attia's podcast (truly recommend) and afterwards created an immersion for me and my recently married wife based on his teachings. It was a truly beautiful moment. Thank you Arthur, you truly inspire me! Your students and followers are lucky to have you!
I am a diagnosed with major depressant order. This is going to sound strange, but my whole life, whenever I felt joy or happiness, I always became incredibly said, cause I knew the feeling was not going to last, and I was going to go back to feeling terrible again soon..it all sounds pessimistic, but I am not trying to impress or make anyone sad. I am just saying this all to the comment "Does anyone get sad after achieving a goal. At 40 years old I started to wonder if I have ever truly been happy.
this has to be one of the best instalments of the "wired support" I've seen to date. well done.
Awesome prof. So succinct in answering the questions in a way I can understand. I could listen to this fellow for hours. More please
i love this episode about learning what happiness is, how to practice gratitude
especially i love this "You beat fear by experiencing fear". 🙏
thank you so much!
I passed a cert exam today, and after all the congratulationses and well dones I'm now panicking because passing this was a lot of what I was looking forward to, and now it looks like nothing's ahead 🙃
There is so much ahead of you! All the possibilities of what you can do with what you learned about the material or about yourself.
Congrats! 🎉
@Isabel AB this perked me up this morning. Thanks Isabel :)
@@Yourfriendmegan haha, I claim this energy! Thanks, my friend called Megan :)
@@sisakhoza4739 wonderful! So happy to hear!
This video is pure gold, watched it twice to take it all in and I’ll probably watch it twice more 😂
This is my favorite one of these by a long shot. Thank you for making this exist!
I am sitting here watching this amazing professor talk about happiness.
Life is good! One Love Always!
The professor we want at our Med School ❤️
This is the content we want
Really like the way this guy breaks down concepts and gives actionable advice
Really loved hearing him talk about mindfulness could watch a whole class of him explaining that!
This dude is legit hypnotising me
I love that comparison of social media being like junk food, very accurate. CZcams is the only thing I use now and it's the best decision I've made in years.
such a beautiful video, gave me great insights! thank you for this interview!!!
i especially loved the part of "we are time travellers" and being present, wow!!!
Please please more videos with this gentleman, he is so interesting to listen to.
Thank you so much for spreading the message(building awareness) about a happier, healthier lifestyle. I especially feel appreciative about how you taught that social media is junk food. What a relief!
The news is getting out there and will empower a healthier society(inside and out).
Grateful for you!
Such a great Tech Support episode. Please bring him back for more rounds!
Because I've been reading about this topic a lot lately, nothing I heard here was new, but he really made it feel like I was receiving this information for the first time! I'd love to sit in on one of his lectures or classes.
Insight after insight, in such rich nuggets. Next time I rewatch, I’m taking notes. Thanks for this gem!!
This guy is like a motivation speaker man, whoa
Stanley Tucci and Jake Gyllenhaal had a son. I'm very happy for them!
Love this episode! Thank you!!
Whoa. Usually I watch these vids & am entertained & somewhat more knowledgeable afterwards. But this one actually made me feel rather enlightened & genuinely peaceful afterwards. Very cool.
Interesting that a lot of what he shared is in line with Buddhism and mindfulness practice that I’ve been reading up on.
I deleted my Instagram a month ago and boy with the help of antidepressants, I feel the happiest I’ve ever been.
This was very informative! Thank you for your time to explain some of the questions I had in mind.
I'm glad I watch this today. Thank you so much.
I must not fear
Fear is the mind-killer
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration
I will face my fear
I will allow to pass over me and through me
And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path
Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing
Only I will remain
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
wow, Arthur was very engaging throughout the video I didn't even realise it had ended! Definitely one of the best tech support videos I've watched!
Professor Arthur C. Brooks has impeccable knowledge and impeccable style!
Those two questions for purpose are probably why so many people cling to religion.
If anyone was able to answer the questions " what am i alive for ? " "What would i be willing to die ?"
I'd more than love to know your answers :)
Guess I have a constant existential crisis! 👍
@@JacobLukasiewicz been there the constant Rabbit holes of nihilism thinking about existence , i read " The last question " by Issac Asimov it feels weirdly nihilistic but actually made me see the more optimistic aspect of it , I don't really think about it a lot now , now ofc reading some random fiction won't make it go away but give it a shot it's a good read and who knows ( i mean what started it all was a simple thought after all maybe Nietzsche is to blame here ) regardless if you do decide to let me know what you think of it .
Alive because my mother birthed me. I would only ever be willing to die for my own child
To leave a seed of love in the world. To protect my family.
They almost sound like the same question, or they could have the same answers.
this is probably one of the most informative and important videos ever, really good helpful advice and insights
This was such a beautiful video. This man has so much knowledge and makes it so much relatable. Very wise person
This man seems very nice and well meaning, but please don’t take everything he says as gospel! He’s using very ‘pop-psychology’ concepts that are not fully accurate, purposefully missing out complicated concepts and caveats within the theories he’s discussing. We simply do not know enough about the brain yet to be able to say the things he’s saying with so much certainty. Do your own research and remember just how new psychology is as a scientific discipline!
Figuring out how to dissolve your EGO will set you free.
What a man. Literally the best thing I saw on CZcams this week. Thanks you for this.
This is amazing, please do a part two
All the things you have divided by all the things you want. What an awesome principal to abide by
Thank you for this fascinating and insightful discussion! I would love to have a follow up video with Professor Brooks on this topic!
This was a really solid video. Legit took notes. Tysm team!
Love this one, it help me with some questions that I been looming about for so long .