In this special episode, originally recorded live with our Breaker community on Substack, Mayim and Jonathan sit down with Arthur Brooks to talk about happiness, meaning, and his new book, The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness.

Brooks is one of the leading voices on human happiness, and he explains why the wealthiest, most technologically advanced countries have the highest share of people who say they don’t know their meaning or purpose. He argues it comes down to how much time we spend in our left brain versus our right brain, and how to find the balance.

His top recommendations:

• Step away from your devices
• Pursue relationships and experiences the old-fashioned way
• Grapple with the big questions in life that lead to meaning

His description of dating apps as a “left-brain simulation of right-brain emotions” reframes almost every part of how we connect with each other. He also explores the difference between healthy and unhealthy suffering, and why meaning is found when we get our hands dirty in life.

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