#446 — How to Do the Most Good

This book answers the simple but essential question: Why can’t we all get along?

Moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains why people around the world, including liberals and conservatives in the United States, have different moral frameworks. He argues that moral judgments are emotional, not logical—they are based on stories rather than reason. Consequently, liberals and conservatives lack a common language, and reason-based arguments about morality are ineffective. This leads to political polarization.

The Righteous Mind explores how our divergent moralities evolved, why morality is about more than just fairness, and how we can counter our natural self-righteousness to decrease political divides.

Beyond Order is Jordan B. Peterson’s hard-hitting, no-nonsense guide to navigating the chaos of our difficult world and living a life of excellence. In it, Peterson offers 12 rules to help you reduce the chaos in your life, create order, and live responsibly.

Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist and emeritus professor at the University of Toronto who rose to fame in 2016 for his controversial critique of identity politics. Peterson is also known for his YouTube-based lecture series on mythology, religion, and psychology, as well as for staunchly supporting free speech, monogamous marriage, and the importance of the Bible to Western culture.

Our guide discusses Peterson’s perspectives on how and why to listen to your conscience, how to find the courage to take responsibility for yourself and your loved ones, and how to show up for life as fully as you can. In commentary, we both challenge and support his ideas, and we explore alternatives as well as specific how-tos for his more abstract suggestions.

In Development as Freedom, Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen calls for a radical rethinking of the way we view poverty and economic development. Pulling from more than five decades of his own research, Sen argues that economic development goes beyond increasing wealth—it’s about expanding freedom.

In this guide, we examine the five types of freedom that Sen argues are integral to development. We explore how empowering women helps communities, how democracy prevents famine, and how capitalist values lead to the greater good.

This guide explains Sen’s reasoning—from what it means to be poor to his idea of justice and the role that markets play in development. Additionally, we examine different perspectives on the substance and practicality of Sen’s “development as freedom” approach.

The Happiness Hypothesis explores the nature of human happiness, blending the philosophical and theological wisdom of ancient thinkers with insights from the field of positive psychology. Our satisfaction is driven by how our mental filters interpret the events in our lives, with the human brain perpetually divided against itself in the struggle between the desires created by our emotions and the attempts of reason to control them. The key to happiness is to use reason to focus the mind away from desires that will only bring fleeting happiness, while giving in to those desires that will bring lasting fulfillment.

What’s the key to living well and enjoying life to the fullest—to truly flourishing? Many of us think happiness is the answer. But in Flourish, psychologist and best-selling author Martin E. P. Seligman challenges this idea and argues that other aspects of life matter just as much as, if not more, than happiness. He proposes that instead of prioritizing happiness, we—as individuals and as a society—should cultivate well-being, which is a blend of five elements: positive emotion, engagement, meaning, relationships, and achievement. We can fortify these pillars of well-being by applying the principles of positive psychology in our lives and society so that the whole world can learn to flourish.

In this guide, we’ll define the five pillars of well-being, the benefits of having high well-being, and ways we can use positive psychology to increase personal and global well-being. Along the way, we’ll compare Seligman’s insights on happiness and well-being with those of other psychologists and expand on his findings with actionable advice.

What does it mean to live well? So many life philosophies seek to answer this question that it can feel daunting to find one that resonates with you. In their 2023 book Life Worth Living, three Yale professors—Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz—break this question down to make it easier for you to answer. They offer bite-sized chunks of various life philosophies (including those of Confucius, Jesus, and the writer James Baldwin) to use as a springboard for building your own life philosophy.

In this guide, we’ll discuss four key components of a good life philosophy—spiritual, emotional, material, and moral welfare. Then, we’ll explore why it’s important to carefully consider your life philosophy. Finally, we’ll explain four methods for aligning your actions with your life philosophy. In our commentary, we’ll discuss additional life philosophies, research about what it means to live well, and practical tips for living your best life from other experts.

We like to think that we’re intelligent, rational beings who generally make good decisions. However, psychologist Daniel Kahneman says that in reality, the human mind is hasty, imprecise, and lazy. In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman explains how we make decisions, why those decisions are often wrong, and how we can work around our natural shortcomings to make better decisions in the future.

We’ll begin by describing the “fast” and “slow” systems of thought that Kahneman identifies. Next, we’ll go over the ways our thinking tends to be sloppy and biased, and why that happens so regularly. Finally, we’ll examine Kahneman’s research into happiness, and how a better understanding of ourselves can help support our overall well-being.

In our commentary, we’ll explore some evolutionary origins of cognitive biases, look at how the biases Kahneman highlights relate to additional biases, and compare Kahneman’s insights to those from other psychologists, such as Malcolm Gladwell and Barbara Oakley.

What’s the key to living well and enjoying life to the fullest—to truly flourishing? Many of us think happiness is the answer. But in Flourish, psychologist and best-selling author Martin E. P. Seligman challenges this idea and argues that other aspects of life matter just as much as, if not more, than happiness. He proposes that instead of prioritizing happiness, we—as individuals and as a society—should cultivate well-being, which is a blend of five elements: positive emotion, engagement, meaning, relationships, and achievement. We can fortify these pillars of well-being by applying the principles of positive psychology in our lives and society so that the whole world can learn to flourish.

In this guide, we’ll define the five pillars of well-being, the benefits of having high well-being, and ways we can use positive psychology to increase personal and global well-being. Along the way, we’ll compare Seligman’s insights on happiness and well-being with those of other psychologists and expand on his findings with actionable advice.

Do you look forward to a time when you’ll be happier? In Happier, Harvard professor and positive psychology expert Tal Ben-Shahar argues that greater happiness is accessible to everyone now. He argues that happiness is not an end goal, but an ongoing journey.

Ben-Shahar addresses common misconceptions and offers practical strategies to cultivate happiness in our everyday lives. In this guide, we’ll explore Ben-Shahar’s definition of happiness and consider ways in which people often get the pursuit of happiness wrong. We’ll discuss why happiness is a worthy cause and provide practical strategies to help you prioritize your happiness. Throughout the guide, we’ll supplement Ben-Shahar’s advice with research in the field of positive psychology and additional insights from authors like Catherine Price (The Power of Fun), Nicholas Carr (The Shallows), and Desmond Tutu and the 14th Dalai Lama (The Book of Joy).

Have you ever wondered why you often regret your choices? In Stumbling on Happiness, award-winning Harvard professor Daniel Gilbert offers an explanation for what are, in his view, unavoidable poor decisions: You fabricate a large part of your reality—your memories of the past, perception of the present, and vision of the future. When you then use these inaccurate perceptions of the future, present, and past to make choices about what to do in the future, your choices are often poor and hinder future happiness.

In this guide, we’ll walk through Gilbert’s thesis, describing how your brain works and how its fabrication of reality leads you to make six specific types of bad decisions about your future. We’ll also link Gilbert’s ideas to other, related areas of human cognition. Finally, while Gilbert claims you can’t counteract your tendency to make poor decisions about your future, we’ll offer suggestions on how to improve your decision-making as much as possible.

In The Happiness Trap, therapist and life coach Russ Harris argues that humans are hardwired to relentlessly pursue happiness. But this instinct makes us miserable today, leading to widespread anxiety, stress, and depression. We’re caught in a happiness trap, where the harder we try to be happy, the less happy we become.

Harris contends the answer to happiness and fulfillment is practicing the techniques of ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The techniques—rooted in behavioral psychology and mindfulness—help you escape the happiness trap by accepting painful thoughts and emotions as part of life, while clarifying and living your values.

In this guide, we’ll explain ACT techniques—connection with the “observing self,” defusion, expansion, connection, values clarification, and committed action—and compare them to other therapies and practices. We’ll also provide additional exercises and techniques beyond Harris’s for practicing mindfulness in everyday life.