logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
38m 21s

WorkLife: We’re wrong about what makes u...

TED
About this episode

What do you think will make you happy next year? According to Dan Gilbert’s research, your guess is probably wrong. Dan is a Harvard psychologist, bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness, and popular TED talker, and he and Adam discuss why it’s so difficult to make accurate predictions about our own future and how to figure out what actually makes us happy. The two also chat about Dan’s experience as a high school dropout-turned-professor, examine why small annoyances might hang around longer than major gripes, and determine the best way to end a conversation.


Follow

Host: Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: adamgrant.net/)

Guest: Daniel Gilbert (X: @DanTGilbert


Links

Stumbling on Happiness


Subscribe to TED 

Instagram: @ted

YouTube: @TED

TikTok: @tedtoks

LinkedIn: @ted-conferences

Website: ted.com

Podcasts: ted.com/podcasts


For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/worklife/worklife-with-adam-grant-transcripts


For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.


Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:

TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou

TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
ReThinking: What we’re getting wrong about mental health with RaQuel Hopkins
RaQuel Hopkins is a therapist and HR professional whose hot takes on growth and well-being have challenged how many people talk and think about mental health. In this episode, Adam and RaQuel explore how some people use mental health labels as a crutch, discuss ways to expand our ... Show More
33m 53s
Sep 30
ReThinking: Brené Brown on courageous leadership
Brené Brown is a researcher, storyteller, and author who hosts the podcast Dare to Lead and has given some of the most popular TED Talks of all time. Brené joins Adam live at Authors@Wharton to talk about her new book, Strong Ground. They discuss how to identify your core values, ... Show More
41m 22s
Sep 23
ReThinking: Matthew McConaughey on avoiding cynicism and finding gratitude
Matthew McConaughey is the Academy Award-winning star of Dallas Buyers Club, Dazed and Confused, or Interstellar. But he’s not just an actor—he’s also an entrepreneur, philanthropist, teacher, and prolific writer. His second book, Poems and Prayers, was built on decades of his jo ... Show More
34m 41s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 28
Intelligent failure with Amy Edmondson | from Behind the Money
This week, we’re bringing you an episode from the FT’s Behind the Money podcast: Every year, the Financial Times selects the most outstanding business book of the year. For 2023, the top pick is a book about failure. The FT’s senior business writer Andrew Hill sits down with the ... Show More
31m 39s
Dec 2024
#448 Our top 10 learning highlights from 2024
Helen and Sarah are ending 2024 with a list of their top 10 things to read, watch, listen and learn from. They share the books that have made the biggest difference to their development, the TED Talks that have had a lasting impact, the podcasts that made them think differently, ... Show More
44m 8s
Aug 5
Ed Helms on growing through failure
You may know Ed Helms from his roles on The Office or in The Hangover, but building his career as a successful comedian required many moments of failure and embarrassment. In this episode, Ed joins Adam live at the Authors@Wharton series to discuss his new book, SNAFU: The Defini ... Show More
27m 12s
Apr 2024
TED Talk Strategies for Business Growth
Welcome to another episode of "Accelerate Your Business Growth," a podcast dedicated to providing actionable insights and practical strategies to drive business success. Today, we are thrilled to have Devin Marks join us to share the art of crafting TED-style talks that captivate ... Show More
39m 54s
Dec 2024
Prof G Markets: Ask Us Anything — Forgiveness, The Manosphere, Parasocial Relationships & More
Follow Prof G Markets: Apple Podcasts Spotify  Scott and Ed answer listener-submitted questions about everything from the origins of Ed’s accent to how they feel about parasocial relationships. They address why they look similar, talk about how to maintain friendships and give ti ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 22
How to talk so people will listen (w/ Julian Treasure)
What’s more important in communication— the content or the delivery? Julian Treasure is a five-time TED speaker and the author of Sound Affects: How Sound Shapes Our Lives, Our Wellbeing and Our Planet, and he argues conscious listening is an invaluable tool for elevating convers ... Show More
38m 34s
Aug 13
How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Marketing with Nick Lafferty, Growth Marketer at Profound | Ep. 339
Search is changing for the first time since Google launched. And it’s changing fast. Daniel’s out, Tamara’s IN. In this episode, she sits down with Nick Lafferty, Growth Marketer at Profound, to unpack the seismic shift from traditional SEO to AI-powered search engines like ChatG ... Show More
30m 56s
Jul 2024
Advice Line with Brett Schulman of CAVA
CAVA co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders experiencing growing pains as they scale their companies. Today we meet Devin, who’s navigating imposter syndrome as his spiked root beer gets picked u ... Show More
48m 46s
Sep 8
Boost your confidence (w/ Master Fixer Ian Robertson)
Anne and Frances are back with a new season of Fixable to tackle a subject that impacts everyone’s experience of work: confidence. In this episode, the pair sit down with Master Fixer Ian Robertson, a professor of psychology at Trinity College Dublin and author of the new book Ho ... Show More
35m 40s
Aug 24
TED Talks Daily Book Club: Intentional Ambition: Redefining Your Work for Greater Joy, Freedom, and Fulfillment | Rha Goddess
Rha Goddess is an entrepreneurial soul coach and author of the new book "Intentional Ambition: Redefining Your Work for Greater Joy, Freedom, and Fulfillment." In this TED Talks Daily Book Club interview with host Elise Hu, Goddess talks about moving forward after the 2020 pandem ... Show More
53m 52s