How to Stop Dating People Who Are Wrong for You
Focus on the long term. Don’t try to replace your ex. Plus three more cures for unhealthy romantic habits.
How to Make the Baggage of Your Past Easier to Carry
Rewriting the stories you tell about yourself can make for a better future.
The Case for Mindful Cursing
Swearing can make you happier, as long as you do it for the right reasons.
The Perks of Being a Hot Mess
No one’s judging you as harshly as you judge yourself.
The Two Choices That Keep a Midlife Crisis at Bay
Middle age is an opportunity to find transcendence.
Mindfulness Hurts. That’s Why It Works.
Facing the painful parts of life head-on is the only way to feel at home with yourself.
The Key to a Good Parent-Child Relationship? Low Expectations.
Imperfect people can still enjoy a satisfying and healthy bond.
Ben Franklin’s Radical Theory of Happiness
Ken Burns grades the Founding Father’s pursuit of a good life.
How to Stop Freaking Out
If you can prevent your emotions from taking over in the face of stress, you can avoid a lot of regret and set a good example for others.
10 Practical Ways to Improve Happiness
For when you need advice that goes beyond “Be Danish”
Sports Are Great Because They’re Pointless
The most trivial things can build the strongest relationships.
A Gentler, Better Way to Change Minds
Stop wielding your values as a weapon and start offering them as a gift.
What the Second-Happiest People Get Right
If you make happiness your primary goal, you might miss out on the challenges that give life meaning.
Choose Enjoyment Over Pleasure
Pleasure is addictive and animal; enjoyment is elective and human.
Trolls Aren’t Like the Rest of Us
Online jerks and offline jerks are largely one and the same. Here’s how to keep them from affecting your happiness.
Find More Ways to Be an Outsider
Doing so may feel painful, but it’s one of the best investments you will ever make.
The Kind of Smarts You Don’t Find in Young People
America needs more than innovation; it needs wisdom.
Why Success Can Feel So Bitter
Achieving a goal and achieving happiness are two entirely different things.
The Seven Habits That Lead to Happiness in Old Age
Your well-being is like a retirement account: The sooner you invest, the greater your returns will be.
The Common Dating Strategy That’s Totally Wrong
If you’re looking for romance, stop focusing on what you and your date have in common.
The Problem With ‘No Regrets’
If you never pine for a different past, you’ll stay trapped in a cycle of mistakes.
Art Should Be a Habit, Not a Luxury
Just like exercise and sleep, engaging with the arts is a necessity for a full and happy life.
Live Like the Ancient Cynics
Modern cynicism traps you in an unhappy cycle. The original version will set you free.
How to Succeed at Failure
Sometimes you just can’t win. Make the most of it.
Listen to Your Own Advice
Guilt, fear, and low self-esteem can stop you from living by your own wisdom. Here’s how to overcome them.
Give Your Money. Give Your Time. Don’t Tell Anyone.
You can find deep, lasting happiness in a good deed that no one knows you did.
The Cure for Holiday Blues
You’ll enjoy the season more if you lower your expectations.
When’s the Last Time You Felt Truly Happy?
We asked. Here’s what you told us.
Procrastinate This, Not That
Putting things off can improve your performance—if you do it right.
What You’re Really Worried About When You’re Worried About Money
Once you’ve met your most basic needs, an obsession with your bank account might be hiding deeper anxieties.
When You Can’t Change the World, Change Your Feelings
Adjusting your attitude is easier than you think.
How to Be Thankful When You Don’t Feel Thankful
Even if you think you have little to celebrate this year, you can—and should—practice gratitude.
How to Identify What You Enjoy
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.
Quit Lying to Yourself
Real happiness starts with telling yourself the truth, even when it hurts.
No One Cares!
Our fears about what other people think of us are overblown and rarely worth fretting over.
How to Live When You’re in Pain
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.
What Winter-Haters Get Wrong
Chasing the sun usually isn’t worth it. Learn to like the climate you’ve got instead.
How to Find the Secret to Meaningful Work
Arthur Brooks and Jenn Lim, the CEO of Delivering Happiness, analyze the barriers to feeling that your work serves a higher purpose.
The Disguises We Wear Every Day
Hiding your feelings can be freeing. But eventually you have to take off the mask.
How to Know That You Know Nothing
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.
The Meaning of Life Is Surprisingly Simple
You can make your quest for meaning manageable by breaking it down into three bite-size dimensions.
How Not to Be Your Own Worst Enemy
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.
To Be Happy, Hide From the Spotlight
Even if you have no interest in being a pop star or the president, beware the siren song of prestige.
How to Know You’re Lonely
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.
How to Break a Phone Addiction
You can forge a happier relationship with your devices by using them more mindfully.
How to Be Self-Aware
Manage your feelings so they don’t manage you.
A Profession Is Not a Personality
Reducing yourself to any single characteristic, whether it be your title or your job performance, is a deeply damaging act.
The Difference Between Hope and Optimism
For starters, hope is better.
Go for a Walk
What I learned about transcendence from a very boring 100-mile trek
Stop Waiting for Your Soul Mate
Love isn’t destiny. That’s what makes it so sweet.
The Secret to Happiness at Work
Your job doesn’t have to represent the most prestigious use of your potential. It just needs to be rewarding.
The Real Reason Kids Don’t Like School
Loneliness is a far bigger problem than a distaste for hard work.
Fake Forgiveness Is Toxic for Relationships
Accepting an apology or brushing off a slight can benefit the offender and the offended alike—but only if you really commit to it.
The Link Between Happiness and a Sense of Humor
A little laugh goes a long way.
Which Pet Will Make You Happiest?
A pandemic puppy can increase your well-being—if you choose one for the right reasons.
What Immigrants Know About Happiness
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.
Those Who Share a Roof Share Emotions
Feelings are contagious—but you can help your loved ones when they’re sad without sacrificing your own good mood.
Different Cultures Define Happiness Differently
Well-being is far from universal. Here are four models to help you understand the world—and your own mind.
The Link Between Self-Reliance and Well-Being
Individualism is about having the freedom to be who you are—not going it alone.
The Happy Patriot, the Unhappy Nationalist
Having pride in your country can lead to greater well-being, but only if you do it right.