Office Hours with Arthur Brooks

Thirty-five years ago, I somehow convinced an extraordinary woman to marry me. Our relationship began like any other—attraction, a leap of faith, and eventually the decision to embark on the unknown journey ahead of us together.  In this episode of Office Hours , my wife, Ester Munt-Brooks, and I reflect on what we’ve learned over 35 years of choosing each other—from the risks we took early on, to...

Do you find yourself chasing success, working long hours, doing far more than is required, and thinking about work all the time? Congratulations—you might be a workaholic. (There’s no trophy for this, by the way. I checked.) In this episode of Office Hours , I dig into what workaholism is, where it comes from, and why it can be so damaging to your happiness and relationships. We discuss the connec...

If you feel emotionally exhausted, cynical about your work, or like you’re no longer enjoying parts of the job you used to, you may be experiencing burnout. In this episode of Office Hours , I explain what burnout is, how psychologists define it, and what the research shows about its effects on the brain and body. We discuss the workplace conditions most likely to cause burnout, why some occupatio...

Many people come home from vacation feeling disappointed. Not because the trip was bad, but because they expected it to do more than any vacation possibly can. In my previous episode on leisure , I discussed its importance to happiness and well-being. A vacation, done well, is really an opportunity to practice leisure more intentionally—whether that means a chance to reconnect with the people you...

Finding the right person is hard. Being attracted to the wrong one is just as common. In this episode of Office Hours , I explore why some people find themselves stuck in the same dating patterns over and over again, pursuing partners who are unavailable, manipulative, emotionally destructive, or struggling with addiction. I explain why attraction can override good judgment, why certain personalit...

Family estrangement is strangely common—affecting one-third of American adults today. While cutting ties can bring temporary relief, research suggests that, over time, it often resembles grief. In this episode of Office Hours , I explore why family, one of the four pillars of happiness, is central to meaning, what is driving the rise in estrangement, and why conflicts over values and identity have...

We obsess over diets, fasting, and weight-loss drugs in the name of health. But we rarely ask a more important question: what kind of eating actually makes us happier? In this episode of Office Hours , I explore what the science say about the relationship between food and well-being. Eating gives us pleasure, but meals bring deeper enjoyment when they also combine people and memories. I explore wh...

We spend much of our lives building our careers. We chase success, recognition, and expansive networks—yet despite all of it, many of us still experience a quiet, persistent loneliness. In this episode of Office Hours , I turn to Aristotle and his work, the Nicomachean Ethics , to ask an age-old question: what makes a good friend? I’ll explore Aristotle’s three types of friendship, and suggest som...

Sometimes, the most insidious thing someone can tell you to make you feel better is the age-old phrase, “but you’re perfect!” While research suggests this may ease emotional pain temporarily, it might actually be holding you back from growth and, consequently, satisfaction. In this episode of Office Hours , I explore why we avoid uncomfortable truths when feeling down, and why the better path towa...

Want to miss (or forget) life’s sweetest moments? Easy: don’t savor anything. My late mother, an artist, knew this was a terrible strategy for happiness. Through her art, she was an expert at savoring—and the first to teach me its benefits. In this episode of Office Hours , I connect her lesson to what we now know from behavioral science: because of our built-in negativity bias, we tend to overloo...

Grief is part of the human experience. If you love, you will lose. And when you do, the pain is inescapable. It can be disorienting, overwhelming, and in the case of acute grief, the symptoms can even resemble something like psychosis. In this episode of Office Hours , I explore what grief actually is, how it is lived and felt by those who are bereaved, and why these reactions—however unsettling—a...

In a previous episode on leisure , I talked about how fewer and fewer people are spending time outdoors. Today, the average child spends just minutes outside each day, a dramatic shift from how most of us grew up and from how humans have lived for thousands of years. In today’s episode of Office Hours , I explain why reconnecting with nature is essential for your happiness and well-being. Drawing...

Sahil Bloom is an entrepreneur and investor, and the author of the New York Times bestselling book The 5 Types of Wealth . Most of us chase success that doesn’t reflect what we truly value. In this episode, Sahil and I explore how to close that gap and live more intentionally—starting with the bold decision he made to move his family for more time with loved ones. We unpack the difference between...

Your professional calling is a mysterious idea. It’s the ineffable sense that you are meant to do something . Many people get tripped up in their pursuit of their calling, because they conceive of it like buried treasure—something hidden that they must find. In truth, your calling can be built no matter your present circumstances. So, how do you do it? In this episode, I explain how to move from c...

Pre-order The Meaning of Your Life (out March 31). This is the final episode in my 3-part series on meaning, and it begins with a question I couldn’t ignore when I returned to campus five years ago: why do so many successful, driven people feel anxious, depressed, and lonely? In this episode, I share three real-life stories from my new book, The Meaning of Your Life . These stories reveal what’s m...

Don’t miss The Meaning of Your Life Virtual Experience, my free live global book launch event this Friday (3/27), where I’m joined by an extraordinary lineup of guests to dive into all things meaning. Learn more at  themeaningofyourlife.com .  This is Part Two of my series on meaning, where I explore the science behind the meaning crisis, a central theme in my upcoming book, The Meaning of Your Li...

Most of us hate waiting. Whether it’s standing in line, sitting in traffic, or waiting for a delayed flight, those idle moments feel irritating and pointless. Our instinct is to escape them as quickly as possible, almost always by reaching for our phones. But what if those moments of boredom are actually valuable? Today’s episode of Office Hours is the first of my three-part series on The Meaning...

Some of the experiences that scare us most are also the ones that can change us for the better. The right kind of challenge increases confidence, deepens courage, helps us feel more fully alive, and connects us to a deeper sense of meaning. But not all risk is the same, and learning the difference matters. In this episode of Office Hours , I explore why deliberately stepping outside your comfort z...

Faith and spirituality are on the decline—but what does that mean for our happiness and sense of meaning? In this episode of Office Hours , I approach that question not as a theologian, but as a social scientist. I explore a fundamental truth: human beings are wired to seek meaning beyond themselves. The problem today is that we're missing out on this essential part of human life. I’ll share a thr...

Not all leisure is created equal—some of it feels good in the moment (pleasure) but leaves you depleted afterward. Other forms of leisure actually restore you (enjoyment). They lift you up, deepen your sense of meaning, and make you more fully alive. The difference matters, and leisure well used is a skill—and it’s one you can cultivate. In this episode of Office Hours , I explore what leisure tru...

Codie Sanchez (founder of Contrarian Thinking and author of Main Street Millionaire ) believes ownership changes lives. Her mission is bold and specific: create one million business owners. But beneath that mission is a deeper argument about how taking control of your life can help you not only be more successful, but happier.  In this episode of Office Hours , Codie and I explore her philosophy o...

Today’s topic: love. Forget Valentine’s Day—where romance only happens once a year. Try my new book, The Meaning of Your Life , out March 31, where I describe how to make love lifelong. Many people today feel discouraged about love. Fewer people are getting married, fewer are falling in love, and more are opting out of romance altogether. This isn’t just a personal problem—it’s a cultural one. In...

If you’ve been feeling empty or lonely and are looking for immediate solutions, I hope today’s episode helps—and if you want to go deeper, you can order my new book, The Meaning of Your Life , out March 31. Today’s topic: the loneliness epidemic. We know more people than ever before, but do we actually know them? In a world of constant connection, many people still feel unseen, unknown, and discon...

I’ve hinted at this before, but in my new book, The Meaning of Your Life , I explore where meaning actually comes from—one place, for example, is by serving others with our time and treasure. However, you certainly won’t find it in the worldly idols we so often chase. This all brings us to today’s topic—money. Most people assume that having more money will make them happier. The research suggests...

Most of us know that we should set goals, but there is a lot of confusion about why they matter and how to choose them well. In this episode of Office Hours, I reflect on the difference between meaning and purpose, and on how the goals we pursue quietly shape the direction of our lives. I talk about why some goals leave us feeling empty even when we achieve them, and what it means to aim our lives...