Society
Happiness
![The Question of Happiness](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/466d2aa3-f782-4de2-8e55-9d035f0d8f07/u.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=231%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
From the ancients to our forefathers to our modern-day achievement-obsessed culture, the question of what makes us happy continues to perplex. Why are we eternally fascinated by the pursuit of happiness, and will we ever agree about what makes us truly happy?
![What’s Missing in the Lives of America’s Young People?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/ca8b2ab4-2adb-467b-8c90-b9d815338978/danp.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=97%2C0%2C3101%2C3101&w=290)
Three leaders discuss the aspects of well-being, agency and purpose that are vital to the holistic development of youth in today’s world. How can society help them develop into confident, purposeful, productive and resilient adults?
![An Evening of Serious Hope](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/82958799-fb36-4154-a7d1-1e738bc29afe/53811013922_3ab94aea21_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=922%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
In a world on fire, many of us feel starved for hope. Join the president of Juilliard, America’s leading soprano, an Oscar-winning director and composer, and the former mayor of New Orleans for an evening of conversation with performances that show why there are so many reasons for hope.
![On Your Mark, Get Set, Go: The Power of Play at Any Age](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/284ebcb0-ee70-4812-8e61-21178da716bb/53810282838_c2d3e8654a_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1824%2C180%2C2567%2C2567&w=290)
From early childhood to advanced age, we all need some fun. Society hints that there is something childish, even self-indulgent, about playing, but it’s quite the opposite: play helps us handle our adult responsibilities better. Taking time for fun can strengthen relationships, refresh cognitive capacity, bolster creativity, and invigorate daily life. Whether you carve out...
![Thriving through the Arts](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/6dc4415e-0138-47d4-8a1f-0d5a9fbf00e9/53809639789_0816c2615c_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=3197%2C969%2C2554%2C2553&w=290)
Science is confirming what artists have long known—the arts change the body, brain, and behavior. An interdisciplinary new field known as neuroarts is building that evidence and exploring ways to put knowledge into practice. “Imagine a world in which music and the visual arts, dance and movement, theatre and storytelling, architecture and design, and many other art modalit...
![Let’s Talk About Sex: Unveiling America’s Contemporary Landscape](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/d662afa7-845b-4262-b9a0-6f6e86701b8e/53012224332_655ea5088f_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=974%2C0%2C3836%2C3836&w=290)
Join Dan Savage and Christine Emba as they shed light on the ever-evolving realm of sexual ethics in modern-day America. In this captivating discussion, Savage, renowned Savage Love columnist, and Emba, the provocative author of Rethinking Sex, delve deeply into the realms of consent, mutual pleasure, and the moral complexities and intricate power dynamics woven into our i...
![What Does It Mean to Be a Better Person?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/f001a8cd-8d10-403b-8c46-b4dacf6f6a20/53012771048_8f4b956737_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1007%2C0%2C3905%2C3905&w=290)
In our discussions about people’s and society’s most desirable attributes, we use all these vague abstract words, like morality, virtue, and justice. But what does it actually look like to be a good person, in practical terms? Let’s walk through the steps. Author, columnist, and political and cultural commentator David Brooks is your guide.
![Finding Your Path](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/ba34a5fb-b3f1-4fe9-9a21-cdb3e1ec69a3/53011110946_2e3cda01ea_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1020%2C0%2C3340%2C3340&w=290)
Creating a meaningful life with work that’s fulfilling is not for the faint-hearted in a post-pandemic world. How can we navigate these choppy waters with grace, humor, and wisdom? (Book signing to follow.)
![How to Manage Your Happiness](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/fd89d11c-c266-476c-8298-470f424fedac/53010462457_45c6a15e9e_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=985%2C0%2C3812%2C3812&w=290)
Author and Harvard professor Arthur Brooks introduces the exploding science of happiness, which combines philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience into a set of actionable strategies for everyday life. Learn how emotional self-management can transform the way we experience the world and improve all facets of life.
![Life Advice from the Ancients](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/0138c2e0-4b57-46ea-bff5-cdf04710b0c5/52999381494_d0c4b45235_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=2013%2C0%2C4230%2C4230&w=290)
“Self-care” is the buzzword of the moment. But far before face masks and digital detoxes, ancient philosophers were thinking of ways to enhance human flourishing. How do their ideas match up to today? Yale philosophy professor Tamar Gendler sits down with author Bruce Feiler, who traveled across the U.S. collecting stories on how we deal with life’s transitions. From mille...
![Unlocking the Secrets of a Fulfilling Life: Insights from Ancient Wisdom and Modern Understanding](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/296b14d5-bdc4-49ce-bcf5-f95d3d0d6ad9/53011561976_863276b391_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=990%2C0%2C3805%2C3805&w=290)
Modern theories about what makes life meaningful can feel incomplete. How can we enrich these conceptions with ancient wisdom and knowledge traditions in a way that provides clarity about the substance of human flourishing?
![What Makes Life Good?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/2859e0e6-c155-4aa4-a61f-c5abf0c60c0f/53007491708_beda3f6450_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1376%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
The search for meaning is at the crux of the human condition and the basis of Life Worth Living, a new book emulating one of Yale’s most popular courses. In this lively “hot seat” discussion, professor Miroslav Volf discusses the book’s framework with host Kelly Corrigan. Afterwards, distinguished guests join in contemplating key questions such as: what’s worth doing, who...
![After the Office: Reinventing Where and How We Work](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/744606d8-c6f2-4e59-bdfd-cb5e236d2c71/53004601159_c1ebc5299e_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C5504%2C5504&w=290)
As employees everywhere are redefining their relationship to the office, what are we learning about what fosters productivity, growth, and meaning at work? In the battle between burnout and balance, how can employers build flexible workplaces that attract and retain talent while also maintaining organizational culture and connection?
![‘It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs’](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/6b81065b-d257-4b23-b64b-55cd3e7adfdc/53009442288_0d995bf196_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=981%2C0%2C3925%2C3925&w=290)
In her new memoir, Mary Louise Kelly candidly explores the delicate balance between career and motherhood, sharing her insights as the host of NPR’s “All Things Considered” in the year leading up to her son’s departure for college. She and Kelly Corrigan, host of PBS’s “Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan,” sit down for a lively and honest conversation about the challenges of...
![On Being in a Body: Krista Tippett with Kate Bowler (live taping)](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/2fc03833-3f58-409d-9aec-bb9a03871a5b/53002141307_8041234e30_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=656%2C0%2C2624%2C2624&w=290)
The “On Being” podcast is acclaimed for its “mind- and heart-expanding” exploration of “theology, ethics, science, the soul, and what it means to be a human” (The New York Times). In this live taping, Krista Tippett turns that lens on the singularly delightful Kate Bowler, author of Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved. This preternaturally wise theol...
![Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Speaks Truth on Public Health, Mental Health, and Our Well-Being](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/af7f0c07-0a67-4102-a46c-32082c3d3554/53000201837_54407b1ca3_h.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=266%2C0%2C1067%2C1067&w=290)
As the nation’s top doctor, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy helps to advance the health and well-being of all Americans. He has described the growing youth mental health crisis in America as the “defining public health crisis of our time” and warned that social media carries a “profound risk of harm to the mental health of children and adolescents.” Murthy has also highlig...
![Your Brain on Art](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/26336de7-d3bf-4642-a7ea-f365f81a7958/52997372984_9e32eceb36_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=977%2C0%2C3910%2C3910&w=290)
The arts are not a luxury or an escape, but a vital tool for thriving physically, mentally, and spiritually. Neuroscience explains how art changes the body, brain, and behavior and practitioners are demonstrating its role in advancing health and wellbeing. Learn about the cutting-edge field of neuroarts from the authors of the New York Times bestseller, Your Brain on Art:...
![Overcoming Burnout and Healing the Healers](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/cd58b9a6-34d3-457c-ab65-7367c2a82a11/52994585281_69dbe83d8a_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1808%2C0%2C4640%2C4640&w=290)
Art tours for physicians, a choir for nurses, on-demand meditation for all healthcare workers. Clinical settings everywhere are testing support and wellness interventions to boost emotional health and tame the widespread stress and burnout among physicians, nurses, and other providers that intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to strain so many. Clinical s...
![Life in Five Senses](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/f4c26073-472d-470b-8856-f0ba3f03b53a/52995095736_e4e99a2e19_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=912%2C0%2C3648%2C3648&w=290)
It is easy to take for granted the remarkable human ability to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. Yet engaging fully with these remarkable tools of perception deepens our understanding of the world and paves the way to more mindful living. In her new book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, author Gretchen Rubin draws o...
![Selma Blair: From Hollywood Ingenue to ‘Mean Baby’ Memoirist](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/18535b16-f392-4fdc-8ab3-a88748e720ae/52186051830_a023c644ac_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=290&q=80&rect=1039%2C0%2C3379%2C3379&w=290)
You likely remember Selma Blair as the ingenue in Cruel Intentions or the preppy ice queen in Legally Blonde, but her most important role to date might be as a disability advocate. Outspoken about her own diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, she shares her raw and intimate story by way of her New York Times best-selling memoir, Mean Baby. Join her for a rare on-stage conversat...