Hi friends, welcome to Radio Headspace and Thursday morning.
I'm your guest host for the week, Arthur C.
Brooks. This week, we've been exploring the various ways to maintain happiness during an election season.
Today, we're turning our focus to how engaging in this process and engaging in civic activity can actually improve your happiness.
In a world that often feels chaotic and divided, finding a sense of purpose can be a powerful source of happiness.
People often ask, what is happiness?
And I say it's not a feeling and I tell them all the things that it's not.
They say, no, no, no, no, professor, tell me what it is.
So here's happiness as a combination of enjoyment and satisfaction and meaning.
They say, okay, okay, great.
I get enjoyment and I understand satisfaction.
What's meaning? And I say, aha, there's a large body of literature on that from scientists, neuroscientists, social psychologists, economists, especially philosophers, and they all agree.
Meaning has three parts as well.
Coherence, why things happen the way they do.
Significance, why your life matters, and most importantly, purpose.
Purpose is the set of goals and direction in your life.
Purpose is one of the linchpins to living the happiest life.
There's one way that will reliably bring you more meaning through this channel of purpose in your life.
Now, you might think it's to go sit in the mouth of a cave in the Himalayas and consult with a guru.
Great, if that's your thing.
But, you know, you might not have time to do that or even know where to look.
I have an easier way to do that.
Go serve others. Go help other people.
Why? Because you'll be getting the attention off yourself and you'll be able to make progress in your life in a way that's not so intensely self obsessed.
We understand the mechanism of action behind this as well.
Psychologists and especially neuroscientists have been very interested in the pathways through which people feel good when they serve others and get involved in their communities.
We find, for example, that the the neural reward circus, the part of your brain that is stimulated to make you feel good that those are highly activated when you're helping other people.
One of the things that I studied as a scholar much earlier in my career, as a matter of fact, I wrote my doctoral dissertation on the topic of charitable getting and how it helped people.
I did so much work on it.
Now, one point I was working on a book on the subject and I was finding a really funny thing that one of the best single ways to feel better and charitable giving is not just doing a tiny little bit for millions of people, but doing a lot for one person.
I remember writing about it because I found all these scientific studies and I was engaged in the science as well, showing that when you did these things that the more you did for a single person, the better off you were.
It's just so wonderful writing that book.
And I came up and I told my wife about it.
I said, Honey, I'm finding in the research I'm doing for my new book that if you help one person a lot, it has a disproportionate impact on your own happiness.
She said, Huh, interesting.
Why don't we put that into action in our lives?
I said, Yeah, sure.
Just tell me what do you want to do?
She said, Why don't we adopt a baby?
Why don't we find a child that needs parents and doesn't have them and adopt that kid?
And I said, Honey, it's only a book.
But she was right. And so we started the process and did it.
And I'm telling you, it's the single most transformative thing that's ever happened to me.
Maybe in my life and my wife's life as well.
It's funny because people say, ah, you're such good people for adopting.
So it's like, what are you talking about?
We're hopelessly selfish.
This is the best thing that ever happened.
That was a long time ago.
She's a senior in college now.
She's she's killing it and she's still the light of my life.
She's still the source of my oxytocin.
She makes me so happy.
These theories are not just theories, my friends.
They work in my life and they can work in yours too.
I should be a little bit more specific about what brings the most benefit from charitable giving and volunteering.
What I recommend to everybody is they look at where the greatest need is in their own community.
Now, you're not going to get the biggest benefit from sending a check to a national charity and having that be the end of it.
Good for you if you do that.
But if you're looking for the maximum benefit that can help you in your life as you help other people, look local and start with your time.
Now, the money is great.
People need the money, but start by actually giving of yourself in terms of your time.
Now, maybe that's at your school.
Maybe that's in your community.
Maybe it's at your local community center, but there's lots of ways to do it.
For example, maybe you want to help a kid who is struggling in school.
There are lots and lots of mentoring programs you can get involved with.
Maybe there's a soup kitchen locally.
Most communities, that is the case.
They could use a, they could use a hand.
Ironically, they probably don't need a hand on Christmas and Thanksgiving.
They probably need a hand on some just random Thursday.
But get involved at that particular level.
That's really going to make a big change and probably get you a little bit addicted to it.
That's it for me today.
Thanks so much for listening.
Do you want to learn the science -backed insights that are the real keys to a life of meaning, purpose, and ultimately happiness?
Go to scienceofhappier .com.
That's all one word.
Scienceofhappier .com and use the code headspace for an exclusive discount.
For even more of my insights, visit arthurbrooks .com.
And if you find yourself struggling with election anxiety, check out the how to stop worrying about politics meditation on the Headspace app.
It offers practical exercises to help you navigate this stressful time with ease.
I'll see you back here tomorrow.
