We’re wrong about what makes us happy with Dan Gilbert

When I think about the things I value in the world If you take them away from me, I will be utterly devastated forever. The devastated part is right, the forever part is wrong. Hey everyone, it's Adam Grant. Welcome back to Rethinking. My podcast on the science of what makes us tick with the TED Audio Collective.

I'm an organizational psychologist. and taking you inside the minds of fascinating people. to explore new thoughts and new ways of thinking. My guest today is Dan Gilbert. He's a Harvard psychologist and the best selling author of Stumbling on Happiness.

He's given three popular TED talks and hosted the award-winning PBS show, This Emotional Life. His research suggests that we're not very good at predicting what will make us happy. The best data suggests that um as my father would have said happiness increases when the kids leave home and the dog dies. So how do we get better at finding happiness? I wanted to ask Dan what he's discovered. I have to ask you because I've never asked you about this before. Are you the only Harvard professor who dropped out of high school?

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