Paul Dolan: Can you be truly happy alone? (Spoiler: single, child-free women are the happiest)

What do we actually need to live a happy life? Are marriage and children the pathway to fulfilment, or do they actually make you less happy?

This week, Jill talks to someone who has studied these questions in depth and come up with some illuminating answers that not everyone wants to hear.

Professor Paul Dolan is one of the world’s leading experts on happiness, a professor of behavioural science from the London School of Economics, the author of several books on happiness, and host of the podcast, Get Happier, among others.

He’s spent more than three decades researching how we can measure and value the richness of the human experience, and what he’s found is fascinating.

One of the things we’re often told from an early age is the best way for us to achieve fulfilment is to get married and have kids.

But does the science align with the fairytale? Do we need to partner and procreate to be a fully actualised and contented human? Or can we be truly happy alone?

This is an illuminating and validating conversation about the science of doing life solo.

You can find out more about Paul’s work through his website, learn more about his books here and check out his podcasts here.

To stay in touch with Well Enough Alone, you can follow us on Instagram @wellenoughalonepod or follow Jill @jillstark__

Well Enough Alone is a Spare Room production. Our producers are Kieran Simpson and Trent Bartlett.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.