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3rd August 2023 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

“The quest for happiness is a universal, scientific, fact. We can measure happiness, we can assess it, and we can devise strategies to make ourselves happy and fulfilled human beings.”  This is the assessment of Professor Gad Saad, one of the world’s most sought after experts on psychology, marketing & evolutionary behaviour. Professor Saad, who has been described as ‘…the Lionel Messi of public intellectuals’ is author of the sensational bestseller The Parasitic Mind and the irrepressible host of The Saad Truth podcast. In his latest book, The Saad Truth About Happiness, he roams through the scientific studies, culls the wisdom of ancient philosophies and religions, and draws on his extraordinary personal experiences of coming to Canada as a refugee from war-torn Lebanon, and becoming an academic celebrity. In this interview on happiness, I speak to Professor Gad Saad, evolutionary behavioural scientist, and one of the world’s foremost public intellectuals. We discuss the fundamental nature of what happiness is, the evolutionary basis of happiness, and strip back layers of culture to better understand what it takes to be happy, and live a good life.   

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03-08-2023 11:55:24
Thought Economics

8th June 2023 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

The Harvard Study of Adult Development is an extraordinary scientific endeavour that began in 1938 and is still going strong. For over eight decades, the study has tracked the same individuals and their families, asking thousands of questions and taking hundreds of measurements—from brain scans to blood work—with the goal of discovering what really makes for a good life. Leading this study is Dr. Robert J. Waldinger. His work has given us unparalleled depth of insight into the factors that contribute to a fulfilling life. The Harvard Study has illuminated the profound importance of relationships, health, and personal satisfaction in shaping our well-being. The study’s findings have not only redefined our understanding of happiness but also inspired a shift in societal attitudes towards mental health and personal fulfilment. Now, Waldinger is sharing his insights in his new book, “The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Study on Happiness”. This compelling read distills decades of groundbreaking research into an engaging exploration of what truly matters in life. Waldinger’s book is not just a testament to the power of science in illuminating the human condition, but also a guide, offering readers practical wisdom on how to cultivate their own ‘good life’. In this interview, I speak to Dr. Robert J. Waldinger, the Author, Zen Priest and Professor, who leads the Harvard Study on Adult Development. We discuss what a study of thousands of people, from birth through to old-age reveals about what really matters to lead a ‘good life.’  

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08-06-2023 12:45:55
Thought Economics

2nd December 2022 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

Richard E. Grant emigrated from Swaziland to London in 1982, with dreams of making it as an actor, when he unexpectedly met and fell in love with renowned dialect coach Joan Washington. Their relationship and marriage, navigating the highs and lows of Hollywood, parenthood and loss, lasted almost forty years. When Joan died in 2021, her final challenge to him was to find ‘a pocketful of happiness in every day’. His honest (and frequently hilarious) memoir is written in honour of that challenge –  Richard has faithfully kept a diary since childhood, and in these entries he shares in raw detail everything he has experienced : both the pain of losing his beloved wife, and the excitement of their life together, from the role that transformed his life overnight in Withnail & I to his thrilling Oscar nomination thirty years later for Can You Ever Forgive Me? In this interview, I speak to Richard E. Grant on finding happiness, companionship, joy, and how we can all find that Pocketful of Happiness.

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02-12-2022 9:42:34
Thought Economics

6th June 2022 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

Arthur C. Brooks is the William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School. Prior, he was the president of the American Enterprise Institute for ten years, where he held the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Free Enterprise. He has authored eleven books, including the bestsellers Love Your Enemies and The Conservative Heart, and writes the popular How to Build a Life column at The Atlantic. He is also the host of the podcasts How to Build a Happy Life and The Art of Happiness with Arthur Brooks. He is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on happiness. His new book, from Strength to Strength, was described by The Dalai Lama as a book that ‘…helps people find greater happiness as they age and change.’ In this interview, I speak to Professor Arthur C. Brooks on how we can find purpose, meaning and success as we age. We talk about how to understand and fight our demons, and how to overcome the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies ageing. In our conversation, he helps unlock happiness in a meaningful, and beautiful way.

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06-06-2022 16:39:54
Thought Economics

7th April 2022 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

In country after country, conspiracy theories and religious dogmas that once seemed to have been overtaken by enlightened thought are helping to loft authoritarian leaders into power. The effects are being felt by women, ethnic minorities, teachers, scientists, and students – and by the environment, the ultimate victim of climate change denial. We need clear thinking now more than ever. Christer Sturmark is a crusading secular humanist as well as a Swedish publisher and entrepreneur, and The Flame of Reason is his manifesto for a better world. It provides a set of simple tools for clear thinking in the face of populist dogmas, anti-science attitudes and pseudo-philosophy, and suggestions for how we can move towards a new enlightenment. In this interview, I speak to Christer Sturmark about the characteristics of knowledge and truth, why we are facing a crisis of reason, and the mental tools we all need to navigate our world.

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21-04-2022 20:24:45
Thought Economics

22nd February 2022 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

The average human lifespan is absurdly, outrageously, insultingly brief: if you live to 80, you have about four thousand weeks on earth. How should we use them best? Oliver Burkeman is author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, and a columnist. In his new book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver undertakes an uplifting, engrossing, and deeply realistic exploration of our battles with time. Adam Grant has described Oliver’s new book as being, “The most important book ever written about time management.” In this interview, I speak to Oliver Burkeman about our relationship with time, and how best we use the astonishingly brief moment we are on this earth. Oliver draws on philosophy and psychology together with his own deep research to help realign our relationship with time, liberating us from the tyranny we face.

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22-02-2022 13:55:35
Thought Economics

4th January 2022 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

Ken Lindner is the founder of Positive Life Choice Pyschology, and is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on life choice and decision making. In his sixth book, “Aspire Higher: How to Find the Love, Positivity, and Purpose to Elevate Your Life and The World,” Ken has brought together a lifetime of learning on finding inner peace, positivity, purpose and self-love through making positive and highly constructive life choices that can motivate and inspire us to elevate our own lives, and the lives of others. In this interview, I speak to Ken Lindner about how we can all aspire higher, and how we can build more fulfilled, happy, and successful lives.

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10-01-2022 15:17:38
Thought Economics

28th June 2021 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

It’s a seemingly undeniable truth that ageing is inevitable. But what if everything we’ve been taught to believe about ageing is wrong? What if we could choose our lifespan? David Sinclair, PhD, AO, is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School. One of the leading innovators of his generation, he has been named by Time as “one of the 100 most influential people in the world” and top fifty most influential people in healthcare. David’s eye-opening and provocative work takes us to the frontlines of research that is pushing the boundaries on our perceived scientific limitations, revealing incredible breakthroughs—many from Sinclair’s own lab at Harvard—that demonstrate how we can slow down, or even reverse, ageing. The key is activating newly discovered vitality genes, the descendants of an ancient genetic survival circuit that is both the cause of ageing and the key to reversing it. Recent experiments in genetic reprogramming suggest that soon we may not just be able to feel younger but become younger. In this interview, I speak to Dr. David Sinclair, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, and author of Lifespan about why we age, why we don’t have to. We explore the technologies and simple lifestyle changes that can help us live younger and healthier for longer, and discuss David’s bold new vision for the future of humankind where we could live healthy lives over many centuries.

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03-12-2021 8:10:04
Thought Economics

14th April 2021 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

Ingrid Betancourt‘s story, her exemplary courage, spirit and resilience, has captured the world’s imagination. She is a politician (former Colombian presidential candidate) who is celebrated for her determination to combat the corruption and climate of fear which was endemic in her nation. In 2002 she was taken hostage by FARC, a terrorist guerrilla organisation. Ingrid was held captive in the depths of the jungle for six and a half years, chained day and night for much of that time, constantly on the move and enduring gruelling conditions. She was freed and reunited with her children and relatives in 2008. Ingrid Betancourt has become a global symbol of the freedom and the resistance of the human beings in the face of the most serious adversities. His struggle for democracy, freedom and peace has been a shining example of dignity and courage for the whole world. In this exclusive interview, I speak to Ingrid Betancourt about fighting corruption, her six and a half years in captivity, and what it takes to create change.

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03-12-2021 8:23:11
Thought Economics

11th April 2021 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE

More than one hundred years ago, the American philosopher William James dubbed the knowledge that we must die “the worm at the core” of the human condition. In 1974, cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker won the Pulitzer Prize for his book The Denial of Death, arguing that the terror of death has a pervasive effect on human affairs. In The Worm at the Core, Sheldon Solomon shows that this knowledge of our own death guides our thoughts and actions from the creation of our greatest works of art, to the devastating wars we wage. He hows conclusively that the fear of death and the desire to transcend it inspire us to buy expensive cars, crave fame, put our health at risk, and disguise our animal nature. Through his research, he and his colleagues also developed terror management theory- which proposes that human culture infuses our lives with order, stability, significance, and purpose, and these anchors enable us to function moment to moment without becoming overwhelmed by the knowledge of our ultimate fate. In this exclusive interview, I speak to Professor Sheldon Solomon about the role of death in life and how we must reconsider and rethink our lives in the face of the inevitable.

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03-12-2021 8:23:44
Thought Economics

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