The Happiness Professor: What ACTUALLY Makes Us Happy | Arthur Brooks

Rich Roll

Feb 17, 2025

Episode description

Arthur Brooks is a Harvard professor, behavioral scientist, and the world’s leading researcher on happiness. We explore success addiction, the science of meaning, his profound connection with the Dalai Lama, and why love matters more than achievement. READ MORE👉 https://bit.ly/richroll891
✌🏼🌱 - Rich

This Episode Is Brought To You By…
iFit: Use the code RICHROLL to get 10% off any purchase of $999+ 👉 https://bit.ly/rrnordictrack
Pique: Get up to 20% OFF plus a FREE rechargeable frother and glass beaker with your first purchase 👉https://bit.ly/piquerrp
Birch: For 27% off ALL mattresses 👉https://bit.ly/birchliving
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Check out all of the amazing discounts from our Sponsors 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/rrpsponsors

LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/rrpitunes
Spotify: http://bit.ly/rrpspotify
Google: http://bit.ly/rrpgooglepods

Meal Planner: http://meals.richroll.com
Voicing Change Book: http://richroll.com/vc
Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RichRollPodcastClips
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/rollcallemail

CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:25 The Role of Love in Happiness
00:04:46 The Loneliness Epidemic and Interdependence
00:06:12 The Concept of Interdependence in Tibetan Buddhism
00:08:26 Dealing with Loss and Grief
00:10:05 The Importance of Service in Alleviating Pain
00:11:25 The Role of Attachment in Suffering
00:12:28 Learning from Negative Experiences
00:13:36 The Importance of Gratitude
00:15:58 The Fear of Death in Modern Society
00:16:51 Understanding the Fear of Death
00:18:38 Existentialism and the Concept of Essence
00:19:49 Consciousness as the Substrate of the Universe
00:20:27 The Search for the Divine
00:23:33 The Journey Towards Transcendence
00:30:54 The Limitations of Science in Understanding Happiness
00:33:00 Sponsor Break
00:35:31 The Balance Between Action and Surrender
00:37:52 The Practice of Surrender
00:38:54 The Influence of Parental Behavior on Children
00:41:57 The Importance of Being in a Relationship
00:43:39 The Struggle of Strivers in Relationships
00:45:11 The Striver's Lament
00:46:22 The Illusion of Success
00:47:02 The Role of Love in Striving
00:48:56 Striving and the Struggle with Success Addiction
00:49:28 The Irony of Success and the Challenge of Saying No
00:50:42 The Struggle with Saying No and the Importance of Values
00:51:52 The Importance of Surrounding Yourself with the Right People
00:54:33 The Journey to Dharamsala and Meeting the Dalai Lama
00:57:57 The Dalai Lama's Influence and the Power of Love
01:02:18 The Dalai Lama's Unexpected Approach to Sharing Wisdom
01:03:33 The Dalai Lama's Teachings on Love
01:06:53 The Impact of the Dalai Lama's Teachings
01:08:16 Sponsor Break
01:10:35 Healing Personal Relationships
01:14:54 The Joy of Monastic Life
01:17:12 The Influence of Buddhism on Personal Faith
01:18:23 Reconciling Differences in Spiritual Perspectives
01:19:43 The Complementarity of Science and Faith
01:24:03 Understanding Love and the Ineffable
01:30:00 The Role of Friends in Matchmaking
01:31:56 The Biological Aspect of Attraction
01:34:01 The Future of Love and Relationships
01:35:16 The Search for Meaning and Purpose in Younger Generations
01:36:23 The Crisis of Meaning in Modern Society
01:44:09 The Influence of Tech Addiction on Interpersonal Skills
01:46:37 The Impact of Dating Apps on Relationships
01:49:46 The Future of Dating and Relationships
01:51:04 The Reaction to Dating App Culture
01:52:22 The Struggle of Younger Generations to Find Meaning
01:58:25 The State of Education and its Impact on Happiness and Meaning
02:06:23 The Role of Higher Education in Life
02:07:17 The Importance of Embracing Risk
02:10:27 The Consequences of Intellectual Weakness


CONNECT WITH RICH
✩ Website - http://richroll.com​
✩ Rich Roll Podcast - https://richroll.com/all-episodes/
✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/richroll/
✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/richroll
✩ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/richrollfans
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✩ Memoir: Finding Ultra - https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/finding-ultra/
✩ Meals - http://meals.richroll.com​
✩ Cook - The Plantpower Way - https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/the-plantpower-way-signed/
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✩ Support - https://www.patreon.com/richroll

FILMED AND EDITED BY DAN DRAKE
https://www.dandrake333.com/

* * * * *

NEW TO RICH?
Hi I'm Rich Roll. I'm a vegan ultra-endurance athlete, author, podcaster, public speaker & wellness evangelist. But mainly I'm a dad of four. If you want to know more, visit my website or check out these two the NY Times articles:
http://bit.ly/otillonyt
http://bit.ly/vegansglam

I LOVE MAIL! SEND IT HERE:
2630 Conejo Spectrum St.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320

#richroll #richrollpodcast

Episode description

Arthur Brooks is a Harvard professor, behavioral scientist, and the world’s leading researcher on happiness. We explore success addiction, the science of meaning, his profound connection with the Dalai Lama, and why love matters more than achievement. READ MORE👉 https://bit.ly/richroll891
✌🏼🌱 - Rich

This Episode Is Brought To You By…
iFit: Use the code RICHROLL to get 10% off any purchase of $999+ 👉 https://bit.ly/rrnordictrack
Pique: Get up to 20% OFF plus a FREE rechargeable frother and glass beaker with your first purchase 👉https://bit.ly/piquerrp
Birch: For 27% off ALL mattresses 👉https://bit.ly/birchliving
Seed: Use code RICHROLL25 for 25% OFF your first order 👉https://bit.ly/seedxrrp2025

Check out all of the amazing discounts from our Sponsors 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/rrpsponsors

LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/rrpitunes
Spotify: http://bit.ly/rrpspotify
Google: http://bit.ly/rrpgooglepods

Meal Planner: http://meals.richroll.com
Voicing Change Book: http://richroll.com/vc
Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RichRollPodcastClips
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/rollcallemail

CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:25 The Role of Love in Happiness
00:04:46 The Loneliness Epidemic and Interdependence
00:06:12 The Concept of Interdependence in Tibetan Buddhism
00:08:26 Dealing with Loss and Grief
00:10:05 The Importance of Service in Alleviating Pain
00:11:25 The Role of Attachment in Suffering
00:12:28 Learning from Negative Experiences
00:13:36 The Importance of Gratitude
00:15:58 The Fear of Death in Modern Society
00:16:51 Understanding the Fear of Death
00:18:38 Existentialism and the Concept of Essence
00:19:49 Consciousness as the Substrate of the Universe
00:20:27 The Search for the Divine
00:23:33 The Journey Towards Transcendence
00:30:54 The Limitations of Science in Understanding Happiness
00:33:00 Sponsor Break
00:35:31 The Balance Between Action and Surrender
00:37:52 The Practice of Surrender
00:38:54 The Influence of Parental Behavior on Children
00:41:57 The Importance of Being in a Relationship
00:43:39 The Struggle of Strivers in Relationships
00:45:11 The Striver's Lament
00:46:22 The Illusion of Success
00:47:02 The Role of Love in Striving
00:48:56 Striving and the Struggle with Success Addiction
00:49:28 The Irony of Success and the Challenge of Saying No
00:50:42 The Struggle with Saying No and the Importance of Values
00:51:52 The Importance of Surrounding Yourself with the Right People
00:54:33 The Journey to Dharamsala and Meeting the Dalai Lama
00:57:57 The Dalai Lama's Influence and the Power of Love
01:02:18 The Dalai Lama's Unexpected Approach to Sharing Wisdom
01:03:33 The Dalai Lama's Teachings on Love
01:06:53 The Impact of the Dalai Lama's Teachings
01:08:16 Sponsor Break
01:10:35 Healing Personal Relationships
01:14:54 The Joy of Monastic Life
01:17:12 The Influence of Buddhism on Personal Faith
01:18:23 Reconciling Differences in Spiritual Perspectives
01:19:43 The Complementarity of Science and Faith
01:24:03 Understanding Love and the Ineffable
01:30:00 The Role of Friends in Matchmaking
01:31:56 The Biological Aspect of Attraction
01:34:01 The Future of Love and Relationships
01:35:16 The Search for Meaning and Purpose in Younger Generations
01:36:23 The Crisis of Meaning in Modern Society
01:44:09 The Influence of Tech Addiction on Interpersonal Skills
01:46:37 The Impact of Dating Apps on Relationships
01:49:46 The Future of Dating and Relationships
01:51:04 The Reaction to Dating App Culture
01:52:22 The Struggle of Younger Generations to Find Meaning
01:58:25 The State of Education and its Impact on Happiness and Meaning
02:06:23 The Role of Higher Education in Life
02:07:17 The Importance of Embracing Risk
02:10:27 The Consequences of Intellectual Weakness


CONNECT WITH RICH
✩ Website - http://richroll.com​
✩ Rich Roll Podcast - https://richroll.com/all-episodes/
✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/richroll/
✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/richroll
✩ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/richrollfans
✩ Strava - https://www.strava.com/athletes/14443?oq=rich
✩ Memoir: Finding Ultra - https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/finding-ultra/
✩ Meals - http://meals.richroll.com​
✩ Cook - The Plantpower Way - https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/the-plantpower-way-signed/
✩ Italian! - The Plantpower Way: Italia - https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/the-plantpower-way-italia-signed/
✩ Support - https://www.patreon.com/richroll

FILMED AND EDITED BY DAN DRAKE
https://www.dandrake333.com/

* * * * *

NEW TO RICH?
Hi I'm Rich Roll. I'm a vegan ultra-endurance athlete, author, podcaster, public speaker & wellness evangelist. But mainly I'm a dad of four. If you want to know more, visit my website or check out these two the NY Times articles:
http://bit.ly/otillonyt
http://bit.ly/vegansglam

I LOVE MAIL! SEND IT HERE:
2630 Conejo Spectrum St.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320

#richroll #richrollpodcast

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Use science as a welcome mat for spiritual exploration

Science can be used as an approachable 'welcome mat' to guide people toward deeper spiritual questions about love, happiness, and transcendence.

Embrace boredom to activate meaning in life

Modern life's constant stimulation prevents boredom, which is essential for activating the brain's 'default mode network' where we organically find meaning.

Trust friends for soulmate matchmaking over dating apps

The single best way to meet a soulmate is a blind date set up by friends, who can intuitively sense complementary differences better than dating apps.

Help others to alleviate your own grief

A biological hack to alleviate your own grief is to help someone else with their grief, which calms the pain center in your brain.

Intertwine with others to stay grounded like redwoods

Like giant redwood trees with shallow roots, we need to intertwine with others to stay upright and not fall down.

Maintain a failure and disappointment list to reframe suffering

To reframe suffering, keep a list of failures and later write down what you learned and what good came from them.

Understand fear of non-existence beyond death

The fear of death is a cognitive dissonance created because our brains can comprehend dying but cannot comprehend non-existence.

Prioritize happiness over external accomplishments to achieve true success

Many worldly successful people are 'insane' because they repeatedly sacrifice their own happiness for external accomplishments, trying to fill a hole that can't be filled.

Focus on being present to enhance relationship happiness

The secret to a happy relationship for strivers is to focus on 'being' present rather than 'doing' more, as achievement is often used to avoid true vulnerability.

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