Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership Twenty years ago, a social psychologist did something kind of audacious: he collected the most durable pillars of ancient wisdom and systematically pressure-tested them against modern research. The result is a book that has quietly influenced an enormous number of people in the practice-and-flourishing world. For the 20th anniversary, our guest has released a revised edition and reached out to come on and talk about it. Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at NYU’s Stern School of Business and the author of many bestsellers, including The Anxious Generation, The Coddling of the American Mind, and The Righteous Mind. Today’s conversation centers on the 20th anniversary edition of The Happiness Hypothesis. In this episode: – The tenure case that almost didn’t happen (and the book that came out of it) – Two foundational truths of the book: the divided self and appraisal – Marcus Aurelius, the Buddha, Shakespeare, and the ancestors of CBT – The “stoic challenge” trick — and the student who finally started reading novels again – The rider-on-an-elephant metaphor (which turns out to be in the Buddha too) – Why willpower alone almost never works – Dan’s own Buddhist “not I, not mine, not myself” move — and where East and West split – Why “the self” is a Western concept and how our thick, padded version makes us miserable – Enshittification, the attention economy, and the 2026 “allergic reaction” to digital – Why phone-free schools has become the “last bipartisan issue in America” – Love and attachment — Harry Harlow, baby monkeys, and the research that saved parenting – Passionate love vs. companionate love — and the graph most of us need to see – Why swiping has killed courtship (and why millennials call themselves “the last chopper out of Nam”) – The one place Haidt disagrees with ancient wisdom — non-attachment – Dan on the Buddhist distinction between non-attachment and detachment – Holding relationships with an open palm, not a closed fist – The uses of adversity — Nietzsche, Mencius, and antifragility – The brain-cancer student who agreed that suffering opens the highest kind of flourishing – What’s Good — Haidt on his dog Wilma, Dan on the Mr. T documentary he watched with his son Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ #10PercentHappier #JonathanHaidt #TheHappinessHypothesis This episode is brought to you by: QUO: Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to quo.com/HAPPIER. Planet Visionaries: In partnership with The Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, listen to or watch Planet Visionaries wherever you get your podcasts.