Dr. Arthur Brooks
@arthurbrooks • 132,878 subscribers
Dedicated to helping people live happier lives | #1 NYT Best-Selling Author | Harvard Professor. Columnist with @TheFP | Try my newsletter:
Videos
Graduation looks like an ending — it really isn't. It's the start of a harder, more important question: not just what they're going to do, but what their life is actually for. I’ve been thinking about that a lot in recent years, and it's part of why I wrote my new book, The Meaning of Your Life. If you have a graduate in your life and you’re looking for something worth giving them, consider getting them a copy.
Dr. Arthur Brooks120,024 views • 2 months ago
So many couples spend years managing the logistics of life together without ever stopping to ask the deeper questions: What does our love mean? Who are we becoming together? And what do we want our next chapter to look like? On June 19 - 22, 2026, Esther and I are gathering couples in Santa Fe for a retreat named The Meaning of Us. Just to be clear, this is not a couple therapy, but an opportunity to: - Gain a shared vocabulary for what you each most deeply want - Understand your relationship as the complex, living thing it actually is - Do the individual work that makes the relational work possible - See your differences as a source of depth rather than friction We'd love to have you join us:
Dr. Arthur Brooks32,592 views • 1 month ago
Four Ideas to Fix Your Marriage: 1. Have some fun together, instead of just focusing on grievances. 2. Praying together is intimate. 3. Increase your eye contact when talking with your partner. 4. Increase your physical touch with your partner when possible. With Tim Ferriss
Dr. Arthur Brooks92,836 views • 6 months ago
Family estrangement often brings relief at first because people don't walk away from relationships hoping to be unhappy. But research shows that for many people, the relief doesn't last. Over time, family estrangement is associated with higher rates of depression, poorer physical health, and chronic unhappiness. We're wired for connection with our kin. When those bonds break, something deep within us recognizes that the relationship isn't as it should be. Not every family conflict can be repaired. Not every relationship is safe. But before accepting permanent distance as the only answer, it's worth asking whether reconciliation is still possible.
Dr. Arthur Brooks26,363 views • 1 month ago
Research shows that people are often happier in the weeks before a vacation than during the vacation itself. The reason is anticipation. We tend to think happiness comes from the experience itself. But some of the pleasure comes from simply having something to look forward to. Watch more here:
Dr. Arthur Brooks13,253 views • 1 month ago
Friendships account for 60% of the difference in happiness between individuals. That’s an extraordinary number, and a reminder that friendship isn’t a nice extra in life. It’s central to human flourishing. In this week’s episode of Office Hours, I turn to Aristotle and his Nicomachean Ethics to ask an age-old question: what makes a good friend? I share Aristotle’s three types of friendship, and suggest something that might sound counterintuitive: the best of friends are perfectly useless. Watch the full episode here:
Dr. Arthur Brooks13,094 views • 2 months ago
The world often tells us to “love things, use people, and worship ourselves.” But the truth is, to find real happiness, we must “use things, love people, and worship God.” Embrace this wisdom as you navigate life’s journey. Stay humble, seek truth, and let God’s will guide you.
Dr. Arthur Brooks31,663 views • 2 years ago
We’ve all faced heartbreak, failure, and loss. But what if those moments weren’t just obstacles? I ask my students to keep a failure and disappointment list. Every time something painful happens, they write it down, leave space, and come back later to reflect: — What did I learn? — What unexpected good came from this? Over time, you start to see a pattern: growth, meaning, and even joy hiding behind the hard stuff. Pain is real. But so is the transformation that follows. In conversation with richroll.
Dr. Arthur Brooks12,794 views • 1 year ago
A clip from my talk at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London last week. Here, I touch on the idea that we risk losing what truly matters when our culture drifts from community and purpose. We have to embrace connection and meaning to spark real happiness every day.
Dr. Arthur Brooks11,421 views • 1 year ago
On my happiness journey, I’ve turned the traditional bucket list on its head. 🔄 Instead of listing what I want to acquire, I focus on what I want to release. Each year, I identify the desires that tether me to fleeting satisfaction—money, power, pleasure, honor, political opinions—and let them go. True joy, I’ve discovered, isn’t about gathering more but in wanting less. What’s on your reverse bucket list?
Dr. Arthur Brooks13,028 views • 2 years ago