Hi Friend,
Thanks for subscribing. I’m genuinely glad you’re here.
People often ask me if there’s a secret to happiness.
I understand the impulse behind the question. Most of us are looking for something, a rule, a trick, a formula—that finally makes things click.
But I think it’s the wrong question.
Happiness isn’t a destination. You don’t arrive, unpack, and stay there. It’s more like a direction. Something you move toward. Something you practice. The real aim isn’t to be happy once and for all, but to become happ-ier over time.
That’s what my updates are for.
I’ll share ideas drawn from behavioral science and from real life, things I’ve learned through research, teaching, my own mistakes, and of course, the mistakes of others. You won’t find the typical “hacks” or “shortcuts” here. Just ways of thinking more clearly about your choices, your relationships, your health, meaning, and, of course, your happiness. I’ll help provide you with the tools to build this, day by day.
Because this work is grounded in social science, I also pay close attention to data from real people. From time to time, I’ll invite you to pause and reflect on your own experience too.
A good place to begin is with a simple question:
Which do you find more difficult: happiness or unhappiness?
It sounds odd at first, but the distinction matters more than you might expect. If you’re curious, you can explore it by taking the Happiness Scale, a science-backed assessment I created to measure well-being across enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning. It’s designed to give you a clear snapshot of what’s supporting you, and where a small shift might make the biggest difference.
And if you’d rather think through these ideas in a more conversational way, you might enjoy my podcast, ‘Office Hours.’ It’s where I talk through questions about happiness, work, love, meaning, and suffering (and more)—often the same questions people ask me in real life. You can listen to it on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
I hope what you find here is useful. And if at any point it’s not, you’re always free to step away.
Warmly,
Arthur
