Arthur C. Brooks
American social scientist, author and professor who teaches the science of happiness at Vanderbilt and Harvard Business School
Arthur C. Brooks (American social scientist, author and professor who teaches the science of happiness at Vanderbilt and Harvard Business School) has appeared as a guest on 1 episode in TMT. Topics they speak about most include Social media and adolescent mental health, Happiness, Loneliness epidemic.
In their words
Positions and remarks grouped by topic, each with the exact quote and where it was said.
Social media and adolescent mental health
Brooks is optimistic society will solve technology's harms as it did with tobacco and automobiles.
“We figured it out. And we're going to figure this one out too. I'm, I'm super optimistic about that”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:32:59
Brooks argues phones should be banned from classrooms nationwide.
“there shouldn't be, by the way, any phones in classrooms any place in America. That's completely insane”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:31:42
Brooks recommends a phone-free first hour, meals, and last hour, saying life changes within about 42 days.
“First hour, meals, last hour. In 42 days, your life is different”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:24:26
Brooks recommends avoiding devices in the first 60 minutes of the day for better focus and mood.
“I recommend actually the whole first 60 minutes without the device for neurocognitive programming”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 29:24
Happiness
Brooks argues modern therapeutic culture wrongly treats suffering as evidence of pathology.
“in the therapeutic industrial culture that we've got that says that if you're suffering from something, it's evidence that there's a pathology. That's wrong”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 17:37
Brooks defines enjoyment as pleasure combined with people and memory.
“is pleasure plus people plus memory equals enjoyment okay so it's got to be conscious and memorable”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 9:23
Brooks argues that happiness is not a feeling and that feelings are merely evidence of happiness.
“So scientifically, happiness isn't a feeling at all. Feelings are evidence of happiness”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 7:10
Loneliness epidemic
Brooks says technology that substitutes for in-person relationships makes people miserable, while technology that complements them is a useful tool.
“If any device or technology is substituting for your in-person relationships, it's going to make you miserable and ruin your life”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:38:03
Brooks argues social media is the junk food of social life and increases loneliness.
“Every hour you spend on social media, you will get lonelier because your brain knows the difference”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:16:57
Addiction and recovery
Brooks says 70% of people who stop abusing alcohol do so before hitting rock bottom, and that he was one of them.
“So with alcohol abuse, 70% of people who stop using, stop using before they hit rock bottom and have to go to rehab”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:21:44
Brooks says he drinks no alcohol because he once confused pleasure with enjoyment.
“there's a reason i drink zero alcohol today is because i made the mistake of confusing pleasure and enjoyment”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 7:21
Depression
Brooks dismisses housing costs, environment and inequality as explanations for rising distress, noting they are not new problems.
“There's nothing new about the fact that something's wrong with the environment or stuff is getting expensive”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 35:49
Brooks claims depression among people under 30 has tripled since 2008, coinciding with screens.
“depression is up by 3x since 2008 for people under 30. Oh, one out of six people are on antidepressants”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 34:53
Online dating
Brooks praises Bumble for adding human friction to get people on real dates faster.
“I like those guys because they're trying to add more human friction into the algorithm”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:38:21
Oxytocin
Brooks says oxytocin, which bonds people, is barely obtained through screens.
“It's the love molecule, and it's how we connect with each other, how you connect with your baby”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 52:12
Media credibility and independent journalism
Brooks believes mainstream media is improving because the public has become more skeptical.
“I think it's actually getting better as a result of the fact that people are more skeptical at this point”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 39:58
Pornography
Brooks compares pornography to refined opiates, calling it fentanyl for sex.
“It's the fentanyl. It's fentanyl for sex”
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur Brooks (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 12:00
Appearances
#695 - Happiness Expert Dr. Arthur BrooksThis Past Weekend w/ Theo Von · Nov 11, 2026 · 1 h 46 min
Theo Von talks with social scientist Arthur Brooks about his book The Meaning of Your Life, the science of happiness, screen addiction, and finding meaning.
Often appears with
- Theo Von · 1 shared episode