#308 — The Long Game

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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