Episode Details

Why are you alive, and for what would you give your life right now?

Bestselling author and Harvard professor Dr. Arthur Brooks joins Chris Stefanick to talk about his new book, The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness, and why so many young people struggle to answer the biggest questions of their lives.

In this episode:

- The three "whys" behind a meaningful life
- What a gorilla named Koko can teach us about being human
- Why boredom may be the way back to meaning
- The three phone-free hours he recommends
- What to do when someone you love is far from faith

Arthur also opens up about the long walk he took at 55 that changed the direction of his life.

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Arthur C. Brooks, PhD, is a social scientist and one of the world’s leading authorities on human happiness. He is a university professor, national columnist with The Free Press, podcast host, CBS News expert contributor, and internationally-acclaimed public speaker. He is the author of The Meaning of Your Life and his previous books include the bestsellers Build the Life You Want (co-authored with Oprah Winfrey), From Strength to Strength, and Love Your Enemies. He lives with his family in Virginia.

The Meaning of Your Life is now out, order your copy today! From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of From Strength to Strength, an account of how the modern world sets us up to fail at finding meaning—and a plan for finding what you seek. https://www.arthurbrooks.com/books/the-meaning-of-your-life

Chapters

• (00:00:02) - The German Word for Disconcerting Homecoming
• (00:01:06) - The Mental Health Pandemic by the Numbers
• (00:02:18) - Happiness vs Feelings: Enjoyment, Satisfaction, Meaning
• (00:04:01) - The Meaning Crisis Diagnostic Test
• (00:05:26) - Why We Avoid Treating Meaning as the Real Problem
• (00:07:10) - Three Whys: Coherence, Purpose, Significance
• (00:07:50) - Coherence and the Pull of Conspiracy Theories
• (00:09:17) - Purpose: Goals, Direction, and Progress
• (00:10:43) - Daily Anchor Sponsor Message
• (00:11:15) - Significance: Why Your Life Matters
• (00:12:31) - Nihilism, Nietzsche, and the Loss of Cultural Norms
• (00:14:45) - Therapy Culture and Making Things Worse
• (00:16:22) - The Smartphone Era and the 2008 Inflection Point
• (00:18:08) - Right Brain vs Left Brain: McGilchrist's Theory
• (00:20:03) - Why AI Can't Replace the Right Hemisphere
• (00:21:48) - Technology as a Fake Substitute for Love
• (00:23:26) - Koko the Gorilla and the Uniquely Human Why
• (00:25:05) - Life Is Love: The Cosmic Why
• (00:26:58) - The Doom Loop of Phone Addiction and Meaninglessness
• (00:28:10) - Making Boredom Great Again
• (00:28:48) - Pleasure vs Enjoyment and Animal Impulses
• (00:30:51) - Boredom Experiments and Choosing Discomfort
• (00:33:45) - Phone Addiction Compared to Food and Substance Dependence
• (00:36:56) - Three Daily Windows to Reclaim Your Brain
• (00:39:30) - Mealtime Connection and Oxytocin
• (00:40:34) - Protecting the Last Hour and Saving Marriages
• (00:42:55) - Practicing Boredom Like a Competitive Sport
• (00:43:37) - Silence, Commutes, and Falling in Love Undistracted
• (00:45:48) - Finding Meaning: The Old-Fashioned Full Life
• (00:48:01) - Six Keys to a Meaningful Life Explained
• (00:49:40) - Romantic Love as a Leap of Faith
• (00:51:36) - Finding Your Calling and Vocation
• (00:52:34) - Fa