Adaptive Coping Style

"Adaptive coping style. That means confronting problems directly, appraising them honestly, and dealing with them directly without excessive rumination, unhealthy emotional reactions, or avoidance behavior."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

Have a Healthy Body Weight

"Healthy body weight. Avoid obesity. Without being fanatical, maintain a body weight in the normal range, eating in a moderate, healthy way without yo-yo dieting or crazy restrictions you can’t maintain over the long run."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

The Secret Weapon in All Families

"The secret weapon in all families is forgiveness. Almost all unresolved conflict comes down to unresolved resentment, so a practice of forgiving each other explicitly and implicitly is extremely important."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

Enjoying Things That Amaze You

"Spend more time enjoying things that amaze you.  Happiness specialist Gretchen Rubin visits the Metropolitan Museum of Art almost daily, for example. Incorporating awe into your daily life might mean making sure you see the sunset as often as you can or studying astronomy—or whatever it is that blows your mind."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

Stay Physically Active

"Exercise. Stay physically active, even with a sedentary job. Arguably the single best, time-tested way to do this is walking every day."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

The Third Pillar of Happier Life

"The third pillar for building a happier life is meaningful work. Hundreds of studies have shown that job satisfaction and life satisfaction are positively related, and causal: liking your job causes you to be happier all around. Engaging in work with your whole heart is one of the best ways to enjoy your days, get satisfaction from your accomplishments, and see meaning in your efforts. Work, at its best, is “love made visible,” in the elegant words of the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

True Potential and Happiness

"If you are ready to manage your wants—to start chipping away—the first step is to ask what exactly needs chipping. And that raises the question “What is my why?” The bestselling author and speaker Simon Sinek always gives people in search of true success in work and life the advice that they need to find their why. That is, he tells them that to unlock their true potential and happiness, they need to articulate their deep purpose in life and shed the activities that are not in service of that purpose. Your why is the sculpture inside the block of jade."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

Quit Drinking Right Now

"Drinking. Alcohol abuse is one of the most obvious factors in the Grant Study leading to Sad-Sick and putting Happy-Well out of reach. If there is any indication of problem drinking in your life, or if you have drinking problems in your family, do not wonder about it or take your chances. Quit drinking right now."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

Self-Worth in Material Terms

"I saw a cartoon some years ago of a man on his deathbed, telling his grieving loved ones, “I wish I’d bought more crap.” Successful people often keep working to increase their wealth, accumulating far beyond anything they could possibly spend and more than they want to bequeath. One day I asked a wealthy friend why this is so. His answer was that many people who have gotten rich know how to measure their self-worth only in material terms, so they stay on the hedonic treadmill of earning and acquiring, year after year. They hope that at some point, they will finally feel truly successful, happy, and thus ready to die. But it never works."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

If You Want To Be Happy

"If you want to be happy, you have to state your honest aspiration to be happy, to be willing to be a little less special in worldly terms, and thus to stop objectifying yourself. You must state your desire to lighten your load with pride’s opposing virtue: humility."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

Serving Others With Your Wisdom

"Devote the back half of your life to serving others with your wisdom. Get old sharing the things you believe are most important. Excellence is always its own reward, and this is how you can be most excellent as you age."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

Be Ready To Change

"No matter how you find your passion, early on, pursue it with a white-hot flame, dedicating it to the good of the world. But hold your success lightly—be ready to change as your abilities change. Even if your worldly prestige falls, lean into the changes.  Remember, every change of circumstances is a chance to learn, grow, and create value."

-- Arthur C. Brooks

We Are All Born With Gifts

"We are all born with gifts. Some find them when they are young, like J. S. Bach, who made his mark as an adolescent, playing pieces on the organ at fifteen that others swore were impossible and going on to fame as a composer by his twenties. Some find their calling later, like so many of my students, who get their groove after many years of college and graduate school. Others find them only after realizing they were going in the wrong direction for a while, like a house builder I interviewed, who found his passion for building after completing a fancy education in science. Or like me—totally convinced that music was my calling until it was ripped from my grasp and I had to look elsewhere, finding it in the world of social science."

-- Arthur C. Brooks