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We all think we know the things in life that will make us happy. More money, a bigger house, and greater power and prestige at work typically make the list. But happiness expert Arthur Brooks, a Harvard Business School professor who teaches the popular “Leadership and Happiness” course, said we’re getting it all wrong.
Speaking at a virtual CNBC Workforce Executive Council Town Hall last week, Brooks told chief human resources officers and other talent leaders that going after idols such as money, power, pleasure and fame will not deliver lasting happiness. “These pursuits are not inherently bad, but they become toxic when they’re treated as ultimate goals,” he said.
Rather than searching for these idols, or happiness overall, Brooks said people should be cultivating “happierness” — the ongoing process of becoming incrementally happier over time. He added that perfect, constant happiness is neither scientifically possible nor desirable.
“Mother Nature doesn’t care if we’re happy, yet we seem to believe that’s our destiny,” said Brooks, whose new book, “The Happiness Files,” is a compilation of some of his columns from The Atlantic. “Mother Nature has only two goals for us, which are to pass on our genes and to survive another day. Happiness is our business.”
