Arthur C. Brooks and Scott Barry Kaufman
Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
The Psychology Podcast, 2022
What's inside?
Happiness awaits those who embrace the transition from innovator to synthesizer in life’s second half.
Recommendation
People often view the second half of life as a decline as they reluctantly surrender some abilities. More properly, says Arthur C. Brooks, later life should be a time of swapping skills from the “first curve” of life. He suggests swapping innovating, for example, for synthesizing, teaching and sharing. In The Psychology Podcast hosted by Scott Barry Kaufman, Brooks – drawing from his book From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life – describes his transition from creator to sage. He encourages those who are getting older to abandon the “hedonic treadmill” of seeking success for a transcendent life of loving, giving and worshipping the divine.
Summary
About the Speakers
Arthur C. Brooks is a professor of public leadership and management practice at Harvard University and the former president of the American Enterprise Institute. His books include his newest bestseller, From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, as well as Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier; The Road to Freedom: How to Win the Fight for Free Enterprise, and more.
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