KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Arthur Brooks is a man on a mission to spread something, arguably, we all search for in life: happiness.
"I thought about it, I prayed about it and I decided I was going to spend the rest of my career as a social scientist," Brooks said. "Spreading the science and ideas of happiness, to lift people up in these bonds of happiness and love that they really seek."
The former head of a Washington think tank now crisscrosses the country talking about happiness. He teaches a class on the subject at Harvard University, talks about it on social media, writes a regular column about it in the Atlantic Magazine and is in a best-selling book with Oprah Winfrey.
"So, writing with Oprah Winfrey is a pretty interesting experience I have to say," Brooks says with a chuckle.
He also said, it’s not that we aren’t happy, rather, we can be happier.
"Everybody wants that but so many forces in our society are militating against getting happier," he said.
The first step in the pursuit of happiness, the professor said is knowing what it is and isn’t.
"It’s a direction, not a destination," Brooks said. "And it’s not a feeling because the feelings of happiness are evidence, like the smell of turkey is the evidence of Thanksgiving. Once we understand those things, we can moderate our expectations and put together strategies that work."
"Those are the three parts and each one of those is a quest," he said. "Each one of those is a journey to understand, to practice it in our lives, and to share it with other people."
Brooks regularly shares the science of happiness on his visits to the University of Tennessee. He’s a board member at the Baker School’s newly created Institute of American Civics. Its goal is to strengthen civic engagement and combat political polarization which Brooks said breeds the unhappiness and anger we see play out these days.
"I think it’s really exciting what is happening at UT and what is happening at the Baker Center in particular," he said. "This institute is critical to actually showing the way, not just for people in Tennessee but for people all over the country, that we can be happier, that we can have real conversations about real topics and not hate each other."
Brooks said one way to overcome the political divide boils down to simply listening to one another.
"I have strong opinions on things, but people who disagree with me, I want to hear from them first and not last because I may be wrong."
This happiness guru is quick to point out a common thread that binds us.
"Deep down there is this longing to live a better life and that is what my work is all about."
Brooks and Oprah’s book, “Build the Life You Want”, is a New York Times best seller. The duo also discusses happiness in Oprah’s podcast “Super Soul.”