September 26, 2025
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
Recently, I attended a conversation on one of my favorite topics: happiness. The University of Chicago’s Graham School hosted author and professor Arthur C. Brooks in their Enduring Excellence series. I was fortunate enough to attend.
Interviewed by journalist and professor Tyler Mathisen, Brooks addressed many of the concerns of our age. The conversation began with questions of how Brooks himself stays happy and what happiness means to him. Before we seek happiness, he responded, we should work to understand the meaning of happiness. Brooks remarked that happiness is not a feeling. Rather, happiness is a combination of satisfaction, enjoyment, and meaning. Therefore, happiness is not something to be sought, but a state of mind which encompasses everything, both the ups and the downs. He later mentioned that happy and unhappy are not actually opposites. They are not mutually exclusive. One can be happy but still have moments of unhappiness. In fact, he claims, happy and unhappy often coexist. Rather than trying to eliminate the unhappy, come to terms with its existence, he advised.
The conversation moved between notions of satisfaction, happiness, and excellence. Mathisen asked about the difference between excellence and success. He wondered what markers might signify excellence. Brooks replied that success is often aligned with things like money, power, comfort, security, or social media hits. He reminds us that Aquinas called such things the “idols of life.” The idols are things that we worship but often hinder our ultimate goal of happiness. In working towards these things, we might get on some “hedonic treadmill” which only continues our working towards the same material things. Those types of rewards will never be enough. We will seek higher salaries and more bonuses. Brooks claims that we can exit the treadmill by focusing on better values. Don’t focus on getting things, but focus on right desire. We have to work for our rewards. Work itself is a reward. In order to identify the “right desire,” Brooks suggests that we explore our own interests. Whatever motivates you, whatever your interest, is where the reward lies. Meaningful goals create meaningful journeys.
However, he cautioned against quick and easy rewards. Brooks fights against the notion that if something feels good, do it. In fact, he asserts that this kind of action will only bring ruin. Likewise, he does not subscribe to the notion that if something feels bad, we must avoid it. On the contrary, he says that the bad may allow for growth. Failure feels bad, but failure is also something that teaches important lessons. He reiterated that happiness encompasses times in which we struggle. I particularly appreciated that Brooks addressed the lack of failure in today’s students (perhaps as a result of risk-averse parents). Often unwilling to take risks, these students never make mistakes. They avoid small mistakes and often come to expect perfection. This behavior ends in destructive patterns. In other words, failure teaches vital lessons and ultimately may increase happiness. Brooks added that without it, wisdom is unattainable.
Mathisen asked whether or not the definition of excellence should evolve as we age. Brooks replied with a bit of science about how the mind and body function. The younger generations (say under 40 years old) have something that he called fluid intelligence. This period of life allows one to make big leaps, to learn quickly, to memorize, create large projects, explore new or unknown opportunities. But as we age, our abilities change. As we age, we lose a bit of the fluidity and gain something he calls crystallized intelligence. It’s a skill set more functional for mentors and teachers.
I came away from this thought-provoking conversation with the following distillations:
1] Excellence requires transcendence. For Brooks, this means an exploration of the divine through faith, but your version of transcendence doesn’t have to be faith-based. Ask yourself: what makes you understand the size and shape of the universe versus the self? What makes you look outside of yourself, humble yourself, seek connection? Explore these things.
2] Satisfaction is the joy of achieving excellence through effort. Effort is essential.
3] Your interests never lie. Know thyself.
4] Be open to novel experiences.
5] Do not attach yourself to a specific target. Set a goal and aim for it, but understand that the journey may not end on your target. Trust that the hard work will create a map and experience of excellence.
Thanks to the Graham School for this incredible conversation. They have a number of upcoming conversations in the Enduring Excellence series, which you can find on their website graham.uchicago.edu/enduring-excellence
Photo credit: Shutterstock/ xtock
