Psychology

The problem with market research is that people don't think what they feel, don't say what they think, and don't do what they say.

Vice Chairman of Ogilvy & advertising strategist and behavioral economist

Whenever I write a new song with somebody, it feels like the first time. I sometimes feel embarrassed, humiliated, like I don't know what I'm doing until we find a spark. You have to dare to go to this place where, even though you've done it before, it feels like you don't know what you're looking for until you find it.

Grammy-nominated music producer and songwriter behind major pop hits

Music is definitely a form of communication, and it gives me a good feeling. If I'm hungry and sit at the piano to play, I'm not hungry anymore. I'll forget everything when I make music. I think when we listen to music, it allows us to feel things.

Grammy-nominated music producer and songwriter behind major pop hits

We behave like an entire culture suffering from a severe right-hemisphere brain injury or stroke. It's almost as if our culture has pulled us into the left hemisphere, where anxiety lives, and refuses to let us return.

Life Coach, Author & Self-Help Expert Known for Relationship & Purpose Guidance

Your mission in life is where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. When we're being useful and doing what we love, there's a sense of bliss. It's that moment where you say, 'This is why I'm alive. This is reason enough to be alive, right here.'

Life Coach, Author & Self-Help Expert Known for Relationship & Purpose Guidance

Fear is like being shot out of a cannon. Imagine a car has fallen on someone I love—I get this clear, calm, intense bolt of energy. Anxiety, on the other hand, is like being haunted. You never actually see what's scaring you—it's just a story in your head that never goes away.

Life Coach, Author & Self-Help Expert Known for Relationship & Purpose Guidance

All these prongs matter for happiness, and they're all interventions we can try, regardless of our circumstances or genetic background. They're simple changes that can really improve our well-being.

Psychologist known for teaching popular "Science of Well-Being" course at Yale

You get a raise, and for the first week it feels awesome, but then it doesn't have as much impact as you thought it would. Researchers call this the 'impact bias.'

Psychologist known for teaching popular "Science of Well-Being" course at Yale

We also don't really have cultural mechanisms that emphasize what truly matters—not so much the hustle, but the rest. The social connection. The deeper forms of connection we get from meeting people face-to-face.

Psychologist known for teaching popular "Science of Well-Being" course at Yale

So many of the things our culture pushes us to pursue for happiness don't actually work the way we think they will. Material possessions, more money—if you're on social media, you get this strong sense that you should go after more of everything and then you'll feel better.

Psychologist known for teaching popular "Science of Well-Being" course at Yale

I think social media is a great example of this. It feels a little bit like social connection, but I often joke that it's the 'NutraSweet' version—it seems good but doesn't deliver the psychological benefit we expect.

Psychologist known for teaching popular "Science of Well-Being" course at Yale

Above all, great entrepreneurs have completed and undivided commitment to their company and doing what it takes to make it successful. Building any new major company is much harder than most realize, so if requires a very high pain threshold – great entrepreneurs are so tough mentally and emotionally.

Thriving as a human isn't some finish line you cross; it's an ongoing journey. You want a life where you can feel like you're thriving every single day—not just fixated on some peak you're aiming for, but actually savouring each step along the way.

Content creator and author known for insights on decision-making and business

The arrival fallacy is this notion, this psychological trick we play on ourselves, where we repeatedly convince ourselves that happiness, contentment, and fulfilment lie just beyond whatever mountaintop we've set as our ultimate goal. You hit that target you've built up as the finish line, and sure, you get a fleeting rush of dopamine-fuelled euphoria—only to find yourself quickly eyeing a new, distant summit.

Content creator and author known for insights on decision-making and business

Our research over the past 45+ years shows that when you're actively noticing, your neurons are firing, and that's literally and figuratively enlivening. And what do we do when we're having fun? We notice, we engage. So mindfulness is not just beneficial—it's enjoyable.

Harvard psychologist & researcher in mindfulness and the psychology of possibility

Once you recognise that, you can take any situation and interpret it in a way that makes it enjoyable. You no longer have to chase after certain outcomes or fear others. Whatever happens, happens.

Harvard psychologist & researcher in mindfulness and the psychology of possibility