September 14, 2007
Tania Ketenjian recently crossed the country in an old Subaru talking to strangers. She started all of her conversations by asking them what made them happy. She also talked to scholars studying the deceptively simple idea of happiness (including Paul Ekman of UC San Francisco, Daniel Gilbert from Harvard, and Tim Wilson from the University of Virginia). Tania shares her findings.
I was surprised that none of the people interviewed about happiness mentioned work; more specifically meaningful, satisfying work.
To have a purpose to one's toil besides simple necessity is one of the great gifts life can offer.Perhaps most of us never experience that in what we do for a living, so it doesn't come to mind when we think of happiness. But we can also find it in our homes and communities; the work we do to create, nurture and contribute is not only satisfying, but perhaps a basic human need as well.
wonderful... I have pass this on to friends. I think it's simple........true.......and to the point. I love the part on smalls things it's not the big one event. It made me re-think my own happiness.
Like the photo.... Interesting Idea... I suppose everyone has their own idea of happy-ness.
Please keep your comments relevant to this entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. All comments on Studio 360 are moderated. Studio 360 reserves the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the studio360.org Comment Guidelines before posting.
<< Back to Episode
Studio 360 is a co-production of
Public
Radio International and
WNYC New York Public Radio, and is funded in part by
Ken and Lucy Lehman, the
National Endowment for the Arts, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and
DK Eyewitness Travel. Studio 360's American Icons series is supported in part by the
National Endowment for the Humanities. Our series on creativity and science is supported in part by the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Our series on Underground Heroes is supported in part by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 
