516: How to become a happier person & find your meaning in life | Social scientist Arthur Brooks, Ph.D.

“Most people are happier at 70 than they were at 30," says Arthur Brooks, Ph.D. Arthur, a social scientist and professor at Harvard, joins us to discuss how to maintain deep friendships, find your purpose, and strengthen your joy muscles, plus: - The biggest myths about happiness (~00:10) - How Arthur defines happiness (~03:23) - Enjoyment vs. pleasure (~05:24) - The problem with extreme thinking (~11:43) - What we’re getting wrong about satisfaction (~13:43) - How to find your life’s meaning (~16:56) - How happiness changes as you age (~22:25) - How to balance true happiness with achievement (~25:59) - How to maintain deep friendships (~28:17) - Do introverts make better friends? (~31:15) - The power of gratitude for happiness (~34:36) - Easy wins for lifelong happiness (~36:37) - Why you should try “emotional caffeine” (~41:39) - How Arthur strengthens his own happiness muscles (~44:21) - How to make those around you feel happier (~47:13) Take 20% off clean coffee+ by visiting shop.mindbodygreen.com/coffee20 . Cannot combine with gift cards or other discount codes. Referenced in the episode: - Arthur's book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier. - Arthur's website . - mbg Podcast episode #388 , with Arthur. - mbg Podcast episode #344 , with Lisa Miller, Ph.D. & her research . - mbg Podcast episode #435 , #213 and #166 , with Ryan Holiday. - Check out Arthur's words in The Atlantic . We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube ! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices