Happiness, Solved
Everyone’s obsessed with being happy—but what if that obsession is the very thing making us miserable? In this episode of Solved, Drew and I explore what actually makes us feel good—and why most of us are chasing it in all the wrong ways.
We unpack what philosophers like Aristotle and the Buddha got right thousands of years ago—and how modern science is just now catching up. We talk about hedonic vs. eudaimonic happiness, why more money and status don’t necessarily move the needle, and why most self-help advice completely misses the point. Happiness isn’t something you get. It’s a side effect of doing the right things for the right reasons.
So, if you’re tired of chasing “more” and ready to actually feel a little less miserable, this one’s for you.
Episode Notes
Referenced in This Episode
- John Stuart Mill
- Utilitarianism
- Jeremy Bentham
- James Mill
- Aristotle
- Hedonia and Eudaimonia
- Epicureanism
- Ataraxia
- Dukkha
- Martin Seligman
- Carol Ryff
- Positive Psychology
- Hedonic Treadmill
- Arthur Brooks
- World Happiness Report
- Cantrell Ladder
- Daniel Kahneman
- Matthew Killingsworth
- Dan Gilbert
- Stumbling on Happiness (book)
- Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Harvard Study of Adult Development
- George Vaillant
- Barry Schwartz
- Paradox of Choice (book)
- Derek Sivers
- Alain de Botton
- Arthur Schopenhauer
- Epicurus
- The Happiness Hypothesis (book)
- Flow (psychological concept)
- Ikigai (Japanese concept)
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