Happier-ness with author Arthur Brooks

Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a short hiatus, but A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes March 24th. In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Episodes that many of you who listened, shared them, and told us what resonated. This week, w ...  Show more

Team Simon here! As we take a short hiatus, A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes on March 24, 2026. Until then, we’re revisiting some of the conversations you loved and we still think about long after the microphones turned off. This week, we’re rewinding to Simo ...  Show more

Everyone wants more happiness in their life, but most pursue it incorrectly, mistakenly believing it can be found in places like the promotion or the bank account. Instead, happiness is the by-product of pursuits less appreciated. Like the quality of your relationships with frien ...  Show more

Today we welcome back Arthur Brooks to the podcast. ​​Arthur is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public and Nonprofit Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School. He is also a columnist at ...  Show more

Happiness is one word that seems to have a million meanings. For one person it could mean health, for another it’s material success. What is the universal meaning of happiness? And how do we achieve it? Today, we have a three-part answer from an expert on happiness. Arthur Brooks ...  Show more

The unavoidable truth is that our skills change as we get older. We invest so much in our professional success, and then at some point, things change. But there's good news. While certain abilities and mental capacities erode with age, others get stronger. With some foresight, ...