
The Problem With ‘No Regrets’
If you never pine for a different past, you’ll stay trapped in a cycle of mistakes.
If you never pine for a different past, you’ll stay trapped in a cycle of mistakes.
Just like exercise and sleep, engaging with the arts is a necessity for a full and happy life.
Modern cynicism traps you in an unhappy cycle. The original version will set you free.
Sometimes you just can’t win. Make the most of it.
Guilt, fear, and low self-esteem can stop you from living by your own wisdom. Here’s how to overcome them.
You can find deep, lasting happiness in a good deed that no one knows you did.
You’ll enjoy the season more if you lower your expectations.
We asked. Here’s what you told us.
Putting things off can improve your performance—if you do it right.
Once you’ve met your most basic needs, an obsession with your bank account might be hiding deeper anxieties.
Adjusting your attitude is easier than you think.
Even if you think you have little to celebrate this year, you can—and should—practice gratitude.
Arthur C. Brooks and Lori Gottlieb discuss the importance of fun, the cultural distortion of emotions as “good” or “bad,” and how envy points you in the direction of your deepest desires.
Real happiness starts with telling yourself the truth, even when it hurts.
Our fears about what other people think of us are overblown and rarely worth fretting over.
Arthur C. Brooks and BJ Miller, a palliative-care physician, explore the difference between “necessary” and “unnecessary” suffering, and the paradoxical realities of human joy.
Chasing the sun usually isn’t worth it. Learn to like the climate you’ve got instead.
Arthur Brooks and Jenn Lim, the CEO of Delivering Happiness, analyze the barriers to feeling that your work serves a higher purpose.
Hiding your feelings can be freeing. But eventually you have to take off the mask.
Arthur Brooks and the Harvard psychology professor Dr. Ellen Langer discuss the importance of curiosity and living in the moment—and how an illusion of stability may be holding you back from exactly that.
You can make your quest for meaning manageable by breaking it down into three bite-size dimensions.
Arthur Brooks and Dr. Shefali, a clinical psychologist and mindfulness expert, discuss the definition and dangers of self-objectification—and what it really means to be yourself.
Even if you have no interest in being a pop star or the president, beware the siren song of prestige.
Dr. Vivek Murthy and Arthur Brooks discuss loneliness—what it feels like, how difficult it is to identify, and the remedies to alleviate its impact on our daily lives.
You can forge a happier relationship with your devices by using them more mindfully.
Manage your feelings so they don’t manage you.
Reducing yourself to any single characteristic, whether it be your title or your job performance, is a deeply damaging act.
For starters, hope is better.
What I learned about transcendence from a very boring 100-mile trek
Love isn’t destiny. That’s what makes it so sweet.
Your job doesn’t have to represent the most prestigious use of your potential. It just needs to be rewarding.
Loneliness is a far bigger problem than a distaste for hard work.
Accepting an apology or brushing off a slight can benefit the offender and the offended alike—but only if you really commit to it.
A little laugh goes a long way.
A pandemic puppy can increase your well-being—if you choose one for the right reasons.
The act of migration involves taking risks in pursuit of a meaningful reward and having faith in the future. Everyone should try to live more like that.
Feelings are contagious—but you can help your loved ones when they’re sad without sacrificing your own good mood.
Well-being is far from universal. Here are four models to help you understand the world—and your own mind.
Individualism is about having the freedom to be who you are—not going it alone.
Having pride in your country can lead to greater well-being, but only if you do it right.
And seven other rules for a happy vacation
Sacrificing for their kids makes fathers happier. Acknowledging that sacrifice will make everyone happier.
To get better sleep, stop treating it like a chore.
There’s plenty wrong in the world. Acting gloomy won’t fix any of it.
Try new things. Not too much. Mostly experiences.
Going against your instincts can help make you happier.
It’s time to prepare for a new and better normal than your pre-pandemic life.
Plenty of moms feel something less than unmitigated joy around their grown-up kids. Make sure yours feels that she’s getting as much out of her relationship with you as she gives.
Your time on Earth is precious and limited. Here’s how to waste it.
If you want to improve your well-being, you need to make a plan and act on it.
The joys of money are nothing without other people.
If your social life is leaving you unfulfilled, you might have too many deal friends, and not enough real friends.
Switching to Zoom forever might be convenient, but it’s a recipe for loneliness.
Lifelong, hard-to-achieve goals might not make you happier. Small steps will.
Evidence shows that hyper-specialization is not the best strategy for happiness.
Humans are programmed to think we’re right at all costs. Fighting that instinct will set you free.
When you most need to get happier, try giving happiness away.
Perfectionism can make you miserable. Here’s how you can muster the courage to mess up.
Voluntarily sacrificing pleasurable things resets your senses and makes you master of yourself.
When it comes to lasting romance, passion has nothing on friendship.