{"id":82058,"date":"2022-10-18T15:48:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T19:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=82058"},"modified":"2022-10-31T15:06:08","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T19:06:08","slug":"the-true-meaning-of-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the true meaning of happiness? What can we learn from the teachings of ancient philosophy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book Happy<\/em>, Derren Brown seeks to find the definition of a happy life, the philosophical building blocks we can use to achieve it, and the barriers that prevent us from living to our fullest. Brown\u2019s approach is grounded in the philosophy of ancient Greek philosophers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn about Brown’s quest to solve the true meaning of happiness, based on philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is the True Meaning of Happiness?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We take it as a given that we want to be happy, but what is the true meaning of happiness? Derren Brown suggests that the answers can be found in the teachings of the ancient Greek philosophers for whom the quest for a happy, well-lived life was a practical problem to be solved. Brown says that by adopting a philosophy based on those of the Stoics and Epicureans, we can lead thoughtful, balanced, and more well-rounded lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a magician, Brown isn\u2019t a stereotypical self-help guru. However, his understanding of how stories misdirect us led to his belief that we can reshape our own narratives to be happy in the here and now while maintaining a positive outlook toward our own mortality. This article will examine Brown\u2019s definition of the true meaning of happiness and the philosophical building blocks he claims can achieve it. We\u2019ll compare Brown\u2019s ideas to those of modern psychology and contrast his views with those of other happiness experts, some of whom he argues directly against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness Is a Balancing Act<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Brown begins his quest for the true meaning of happiness by setting realistic expectations<\/a> for what the idea of happiness means. As opposed to much of the modern self-help industry, with its focus on goal setting, self-affirmation, and relentless (sometimes unrealistic) positivity, Brown suggests that happiness can be found by living a life in which our desires are balanced with the realities we live in<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of life is a tug-of-war between various aspects of existence. In ourselves, there\u2019s a conflict between our strengths and weaknesses. Externally, we\u2019re caught in the struggle between what we want and life\u2019s obstacles. For example, you may dream of starting a business that fills your life with meaning and makes you comfortably rich. However, random chance (such as market fluctuations) can keep success forever out of your grasp. Brown argues that either devoting all your energy to getting what you want or giving in to the capricious tides of fate both <\/em>lead to a miserable existence. The true meaning of happiness can actually be found when we\u2019re threading the needle between what we can and can\u2019t control.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Many thinkers have written about the difference between what you can and can\u2019t control, but in How to Stop Worrying and Start Living<\/em><\/a>, Dale Carnegie goes a step further and suggests that you cooperate with circumstances you can\u2019t change<\/a>. He says that instead of giving up in the face of adversity or fighting against it tooth and nail, you should shift your energy to the middle ground and find a way to work with <\/em>your circumstances, hopefully turning an otherwise unhappy situation to your advantage.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown asserts that the key to establishing this balance is to take control of the stories we tell ourselves<\/strong>. Some stories may tell us that everything <\/em>is in our power, such as when we believe that we can make someone love us if only we try hard enough to win them over. Other stories tell us we\u2019re the victims of fate, such as when we believe that we\u2019re locked into a certain career path<\/a> because that\u2019s what our family expects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: There\u2019s no shortage of books promoting the narrative of personal power, from Niccol\u00f2 Machiavelli\u2019s The Prince<\/em><\/a> to Robert Greene\u2019s The 48 Laws of Power<\/em><\/a>, which suggests that craving power over others is perfectly natural<\/a>. While the Stoics would certainly disagree with that thesis, neither would they recommend a total abdication of power. In Meditations<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius balanced his immense political power with his duty to logos<\/em>, the guiding force of nature<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These stories serve a vital evolutionary function\u2014they help us make sense of our lives so we\u2019re not overwhelmed by a constant flood of details. Some stories are handed down by our parents and the culture we live in; others we create on our own. However, we often make the mistake of confusing our stories with reality and living our lives in such a way that confirmation bias<\/a> reinforces our misperceptions. For example, if you\u2019re told from a very young age that you\u2019re not good at sports, you may never make the effort to improve your physical skills. Your story has become a self-fulfilling truth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, if you take control of your story, you can tell yourself that you can improve athletically despite any initial shortcomings you were born with. You can tell yourself that you can follow any career path you choose, while acknowledging that you might have to do so without your family\u2019s support. You can tell yourself that after doing your best to win someone\u2019s heart, there\u2019s still no guarantee they\u2019ll feel the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: A self-fulfilling cycle of \u201clearned helplessness<\/a>\u201d can begin when you face a stressful situation enough times that you internalize the belief that you\u2019re powerless to escape it. People in this cycle will choose to endure the pain of it rather than attempt to find a way out. In Grit<\/em><\/a>, Angela Duckworth argues that to counter learned helplessness<\/a>, you need to reframe your perceptions <\/a>to see the causes of your suffering as temporary and specific\u2014and therefore manageable.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the modern world offers some tools, such as psychotherapy, for identifying and reclaiming our stories, Brown turns to the ancient Greek philosophers for guidance on how to do the same. In the Western world, it was Socrates who first said that we can know ourselves and enact change. <\/strong>If we become self-aware, we can change how we think, and if we change how we think, we can change how we feel<\/strong>. If choosing feelings is something we can do, who wouldn\u2019t choose to be happy? To identify the true meaning of happiness, Brown zeroes in on Socrates\u2019s intellectual descendants, the Stoics and the Epicureans, as offering the most useful blueprints for achieving contentment in the face of our daily struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Business of Happiness<\/strong>

While happiness was a chief concern of many ancient philosophies, it\u2019s also the basis for the modern self-help industry<\/a>. For example, in The Happiness Hypothesis<\/em><\/a>, Jonathan Haidt says that we\u2019re responsible for creating the conditions to be happy. In Designing Your Life<\/em><\/a>, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans lay out an 11-step plan to do exactly that. Gretchen Rubin set out on a 12-month Happiness Project<\/em><\/a> to find out if happiness can be improved by tweaking your life in small but significant ways.

The self-help industry is currently worth over $10 billion<\/a> in the US alone, and is only poised to grow as the millennial generation becomes more focused on personal improvement<\/a>. While some of the practices recommended by self-help gurus draw from the same principles as Brown, there are others that go counter to Stoic philosophy.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the true meaning of happiness? What can we learn from the teachings of ancient philosophy? In his book Happy, Derren Brown seeks to find the definition of a happy life, the philosophical building blocks we can use to achieve it, and the barriers that prevent us from living to our fullest. Brown\u2019s approach is grounded in the philosophy of ancient Greek philosophers. Keep reading to learn about Brown’s quest to solve the true meaning of happiness, based on philosophy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":82148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,21,43],"tags":[780],"class_list":["post-82058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-philosophy","category-self-improvement","tag-happy","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nSolving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is the true meaning of happiness? Learn about Brown's quest to answer this question by studying the minds of ancient Greek philosophers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is the true meaning of happiness? Learn about Brown's quest to answer this question by studying the minds of ancient Greek philosophers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-18T19:48:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-31T19:06:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1842\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1236\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emily Kitazawa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emily Kitazawa\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emily Kitazawa\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e094024454c7d3334a149c0cf039bdeb\"},\"headline\":\"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-18T19:48:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-31T19:06:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/\"},\"wordCount\":1251,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Happy\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\",\"Philosophy\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/\",\"name\":\"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-18T19:48:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-31T19:06:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"What is the true meaning of happiness? Learn about Brown's quest to answer this question by studying the minds of ancient Greek philosophers.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\",\"width\":1842,\"height\":1236},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e094024454c7d3334a149c0cf039bdeb\",\"name\":\"Emily Kitazawa\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f5c60fcdcf3b7cd02c2882334c15a3d02f74a69631c696c3bce47deb21dc9ac?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f5c60fcdcf3b7cd02c2882334c15a3d02f74a69631c696c3bce47deb21dc9ac?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Emily Kitazawa\"},\"description\":\"Emily found her love of reading and writing at a young age, learning to enjoy these activities thanks to being taught them by her mom\u2014Goodnight Moon will forever be a favorite. As a young adult, Emily graduated with her English degree, specializing in Creative Writing and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), from the University of Central Florida. She later earned her master\u2019s degree in Higher Education from Pennsylvania State University. Emily loves reading fiction, especially modern Japanese, historical, crime, and philosophical fiction. Her personal writing is inspired by observations of people and nature.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/emily-kitazawa\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy - Shortform Books","description":"What is the true meaning of happiness? Learn about Brown's quest to answer this question by studying the minds of ancient Greek philosophers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy","og_description":"What is the true meaning of happiness? Learn about Brown's quest to answer this question by studying the minds of ancient Greek philosophers.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2022-10-18T19:48:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-10-31T19:06:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1842,"height":1236,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Emily Kitazawa","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emily Kitazawa","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/"},"author":{"name":"Emily Kitazawa","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e094024454c7d3334a149c0cf039bdeb"},"headline":"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy","datePublished":"2022-10-18T19:48:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-31T19:06:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/"},"wordCount":1251,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","keywords":["Happy"],"articleSection":["Lifestyle","Philosophy","Self-Improvement"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/","name":"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","datePublished":"2022-10-18T19:48:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-31T19:06:08+00:00","description":"What is the true meaning of happiness? Learn about Brown's quest to answer this question by studying the minds of ancient Greek philosophers.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","width":1842,"height":1236},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-true-meaning-of-happiness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Solving the True Meaning of Happiness With Philosophy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e094024454c7d3334a149c0cf039bdeb","name":"Emily Kitazawa","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f5c60fcdcf3b7cd02c2882334c15a3d02f74a69631c696c3bce47deb21dc9ac?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f5c60fcdcf3b7cd02c2882334c15a3d02f74a69631c696c3bce47deb21dc9ac?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Emily Kitazawa"},"description":"Emily found her love of reading and writing at a young age, learning to enjoy these activities thanks to being taught them by her mom\u2014Goodnight Moon will forever be a favorite. As a young adult, Emily graduated with her English degree, specializing in Creative Writing and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), from the University of Central Florida. She later earned her master\u2019s degree in Higher Education from Pennsylvania State University. Emily loves reading fiction, especially modern Japanese, historical, crime, and philosophical fiction. Her personal writing is inspired by observations of people and nature.","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/emily-kitazawa\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82058"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82260,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82058\/revisions\/82260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}