Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

---

Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard professor who teaches a popular course on happiness, explores the science behind what makes life fulfilling - defining happiness as a blend of enjoyment, satisfaction and meaning rather than just a fleeting feeling. Brooks also reflects on his unconventional path into academia, his book collaboration with Oprah Winfrey, and his personal philosophies on leadership, relationships and finding purpose. He spoke in an interview for "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer to Peer Conversations." This interview was recorded August 5 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC.

Chapters:
00:01:09 - Can happiness be taught?
00:04:41 - key elements of happiness
00:11:35 - Early Life
00:20:12 - Leaders and Followers
--------
Like this video? Subscribe to The David Rubenstein Show on YouTube:
youtube.com/channel/UCqsN9MYiu1mKSAsYoF6ppTg

Watch the latest episodes of "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations" here:
bloomberg.com/peer-to-peer

Learn more about David:
davidrubenstein.com
Connect with us on...
Twitter: twitter.com/business
Facebook: facebook.com/bloombergbusiness
Instagram: instagram.com/bloombergbusiness