The (real) Secret to Happiness: Attachment, Craving, and Enjoying Life

Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Forrest and Dr. Rick focus on the secret to everyday happiness: learning how to like without wanting. They talk about the lies our brain tells us, the rapid movement from liking to wanting, and how we can enjoy an experience without craving more of it. They then explore a specific example of getting captured by the brain’s “inner ad agency,” and what we can do to stay in the present, meet key needs, and see the whole of our experience without getting trapped by any one part. You won’t want to miss this one!

Forrest is now writing on Substack, check out his work there.

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

2:00: Liking, wanting, and healthy desire

11:30: The story craving tells us

15:00: Inhibition and “prudishness” around liking

21:15: “21st century problems”

25:35: A personal example of getting trapped by desire

29:05: Meeting your legitimate needs, somatic cues, and inner freedom

35:20: The search for the slightly better experience

42:25: The brain’s prediction errors, and longing for what is already here

47:50: The ability to zoom out and see the full spectrum of our experience

59:25: Recap

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