Sam Harris speaks with Robert Waldinger about the Harvard Study of Adult Development. They discuss the limitations of relying on self-report to assess a person’s well-being; Daniel Kahneman’s remembering and experiencing selves; why it can be hard to figure out what makes us happy; the effects of alcohol, smoking, and exercise; the connection between work and fulfillment; the primacy of relationships; the diminishing importance of wealth; status vs feeling valued; the connection between good relationships and physical health; having kids and marital satisfaction; introversion vs extroversion; mortality and loss; collecting experiences vs things; the benefits of walking; taking relationships for granted; quantity vs quality time; the self and self states; the guru-disciple relationship; and the possibility of enlightenment.
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Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.
#313 — Apocalypse
Making Sense of Belief and Unbelief | Episode 6 of The Essential Sam Harris
#312 — The Trouble with AI
#311 — Did SARS-CoV-2 Escape from a Lab?
Making Sense of Free Will | Episode 5 of The Essential Sam Harris
#310 — Social Media & Public Trust
Making Sense of Encounters With Violence | Episode 4 of The Essential Sam Harris
#309 — Vulnerability, Politics, and Moral Worth
Making Sense of Foundations of Morality | Episode 3 of The Essential Sam Harris
#307 — Twitter, Elon, & Free Speech
Making Sense of Consciousness | Episode 2 of The Essential Sam Harris
#306 — Psychedelics & Mortality
#305 — Moral Knowledge
#304 — Why I Left Twitter
Making Sense of Artificial Intelligence | Episode 1 of The Essential Sam Harris
#303 — The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried
#302 — Science & Civilization
#301 — The Politics of Unreality: Ukraine and Nuclear Risk
#300 — A Tale of Cancellation
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