What Is Even Happening?

What Is Even Happening?

Share this post

What Is Even Happening?
What Is Even Happening?
Miswanting: The Silver Bullet Problem Of Adulthood
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Miswanting: The Silver Bullet Problem Of Adulthood

What saves you?

Ted Bauer's avatar
Ted Bauer
Apr 17, 2024
∙ Paid

Share this post

What Is Even Happening?
What Is Even Happening?
Miswanting: The Silver Bullet Problem Of Adulthood
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
1
Share

This is a good video from Laurie Santos, who is the “science of happiness” lady and I believe is in bed with Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast network:

It’s mostly about ways to be happy, which is always a fraught term to me. I think the goal should be “contentment,” but who the hell am I, right? Most of this video revolves around social comparison — which we injected with steroids around 2011 with at-scale cell phones and social apps — and how you should avoid it. And you should avoid it, because lots of people whose lives you think are great have absolute bullshit seeping out of every corner of their existence, and if you don’t believe me — just remember that the upper middle class, in some ways, is the biggest prison of them all.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to What Is Even Happening? to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Ted Bauer
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More