Build the Life You Want by Arthur Brooks

thank you for this invitation to talk about my favorite subject and yours not just about our happiness but how we can bring it to other people if I do my job I'm going to talk to you about what I find the most interesting and fascinating science is telling us about this incredible field something that can help engage us and and give us some purpose the purpose of Happiness itself can animate us for the rest of our lives now I teach this subject at Harvard University just heard that in that gracious interview production um and when people meet you in the states for the first time it's always the same question what do you do it's kind of an indiscret question because it's really asking what do you do for money but when I say I teach at the Harvard Business School they say oh accounting Finance marketing Supply Chain management something practical like that no no no I teach happiness and they think I'm lying how is it possible this could be taught in a business school well the truth of the matter is is that the combination of three phenomena in the Declaration of Independence of my country we talk about the the inalienable right to pursue happiness but that's too vague we need to pursue three specific macronutrients in balance and abundance enjoyment satisfaction and meaning those are the three parts of happiness that the people who have the most well-being they have in balance and abundance and when I meet somebody for the first time doing what I do for a living I can usually tell with a few simple questions whether people have a good and balanced happiness macronutrient profile and where they can do more work so let's start this wonderful Summit talking about those three macronutrients those three objectives those three great elements of living a happier life now I'm going to abandon this idea right from the very beginning because we all know that happiness per se can't be a destination in life it can't be a goal you are going to have suffering you must have suffering you should be thankful for the road to happiness goes through a lot of unhappiness