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Modern Life Is Designed to Leave You Empty. Here's the Antidote. | Arthur Brooks

Episode 1121 Published 1 month ago
Description

Six steps to reclaim your brain, find purpose, and escape the doom loop.

Arthur Brooks is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership and happiness. Brooks is the author of 15 books, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers, Build the Life You Want, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, and From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. His latest book is The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness.

In this episode we talk about:

  • The three essential components of a meaningful life
  • Getting comfortable with boredom
  • Why we need to be asking questions that google can't answer
  • The neuroscience behind "authentic love"
  • Strategies for finding meaning in your work
  • What Arthur means when he says "don't waste your suffering"

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Additional Resources:

Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.

Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.

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