LinkedIn Voices: Dr. Arthur Brooks

LinkedIn Voices: Dr. Arthur Brooks

Dr. Arthur Brooks stands at the intersection of science, humanity, and leadership showing the world that happiness is not a mystery, but a skill that can be learned.

As a #1 New York Times bestselling author, Harvard professor, and globally recognized voice on human flourishing, Brooks has become one of the most influential thinkers helping people build better, more meaningful lives in an age of distraction.

Who Is Dr. Arthur Brooks?

Arthur Brooks is a professor at both the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership and the science of happiness. He is also a long-time columnist at The Atlantic, where his weekly “How to Build a Life” column has become required reading for millions seeking clarity, balance, and purpose.

He is the bestselling author of 13 books, including:

• Build the Life You Want (co-authored with Oprah Winfrey)

• From Strength to Strength, a guide to finding deep purpose in the second half of life

  
  

Across his books, research, talks, and teaching, Brooks focuses on a simple question with life-changing implications:

What makes a good life and how do we build one?

From Researcher to Global Teacher

Before arriving at Harvard, Brooks spent a decade as the president of a major public policy think tank. His career was thriving, but he felt a deeper calling: to help people understand the science of happiness and apply it to their own lives.

That shift led him into academia, writing, and global teaching, and ultimately made him one of the world’s most trusted voices on emotional well being.

Brooks now travels the world speaking to companies, universities, public agencies, and faith communities about the habits and mindsets that strengthen happiness, resilience, and human connection.

His work blends:

• Neuroscience

• Philosophy

• Behavioral psychology

• Practical leadership skills

• Deep insights into human nature

  
  

The result is a body of knowledge that is both scientifically rooted and profoundly relatable.

From Idols to Insight: Understanding Human Nature

Brooks often teaches his students, especially at Harvard an exercise he calls “What’s My Idol?”

Inspired by St. Thomas Aquinas, he explains that every person tends to chase one of four idols:

1. Money

2. Power

3. Pleasure

4. Honor

   
   

And whichever idol you chase most is usually where you’ll make your biggest mistakes.

In a widely shared conversation with Jordan Peterson, Brooks openly revealed his own idol and how understanding it helped him become more self-aware and compassionate offering a powerful reminder that even experts on happiness wrestle with the same human tendencies we all do.

The Science of Modern Distraction

Brooks has become a leading voice on the emotional cost of digital overload.

Drawing from research, he explains how smartphones mimic addictive behavior, delivering dopamine hits each time we check for notifications. The average person checks their phone 205 times per day, creating a cycle where the phone feeds the emotion, and the emotion feeds the phone.

“Social media,” Brooks writes, “is junk food for the mind calories without nourishment.”

His message is not anti technology but pro awareness. In his popular “Office Hours” series, he shares simple guardrails to help people stay focused and present without abandoning the digital tools that support modern life.

Happiness as a Daily Practice

Brooks emphasizes that happiness is not a feeling, it’s a habit system.

He teaches practical routines backed by evidence, like taking a walk after dinner to:

• Stabilize blood glucose

• Improve circadian rhythms

• Lower anxiety and depression

• Support emotional and spiritual well-being

  
  

He breaks happiness into:

• Enjoyment (a blend of pleasure + meaning)

• Satisfaction (reward for goal-directed effort)

• Purpose (understanding why your life matters)

  
  

His evening protocols, daily rituals, and research summaries have helped millions build healthier, more intentional lives.

Mission: Helping People Live Happier, Braver Lives

Arthur Brooks’ mission goes far beyond writing about happiness, he aims to teach the skill of flourishing at scale.

Through:

• Harvard courses

• His Atlantic column

• His bestselling books

• The “Office Hours” series

• Global keynote speaking

• Corporate and public workshops

  
  

He empowers people not just to understand happiness, but to practice it.

Brooks bridges ancient wisdom with modern behavioral science, making complex ideas accessible enough for anyone to apply.

Themes & Message Pillars

1. The Science of Happiness

Brooks breaks happiness into measurable components and teaches how to strengthen them intentionally rather than passively waiting for life to improve.

2. Digital Discipline

He reveals how dopamine loops shape phone addiction, and how creating boundaries helps restore focus, calm, and satisfaction.

3. Purpose Over Achievement

Brooks argues that success without purpose leads to emptiness, while purpose without systems leads to stagnation.

4. Emotional Self-Mastery

From analyzing our internal “idols” to reframing negative emotions, he teaches tools for managing the mind with wisdom and clarity.

5. Flourishing in the Second Half of Life

A recurring theme in his work: the second half of life is not a decline, but a transformation one that can bring deeper joy, meaning, and impact.

LinkedIn Content Strategy: Calm Authority in a Noisy World

Dr. Arthur Brooks On LinkedIn

By merging neuroscience, philosophy, faith, psychology, and practical routines, he’s helping millions build lives rich in:

• Purpose

• Love

• Connection

• Gratitude

• Resilience

• Influence on more 83,000 followers on LinkedIn

  
  

In a world filled with noise, Brooks offers signal a framework for flourishing built on science, wisdom, and heart.

“Happiness isn’t something you feel. It’s something you do.” - Dr. Arthur Brooks

Some of His Posts On LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

The average person checks their phone about 205 times a day. Each time you do, your brain gives you a little hit of dopamine that says, “Go look.” When there’s nothing new, no texts, no emails, no… | Dr. Arthur Brooks | 44 comments

The average person checks their phone about 205 times a day. Each time you do, your brain gives you a little hit of dopamine that says, “Go look.” When there’s nothing new, no texts, no emails, no notifications, you feel a small letdown. That’s your dopamine dropping. But when there’s something waiting for you, you get another hit. And that’s how your brain learns. Over time, you add more apps and give yourself more chances for little rewards. That’s how escalation happens. Research shows a strong connection between heavy smartphone use and higher rates of anxiety and depression. Is it that depressed people use their phones more, or that overusing phones makes us more depressed and anxious? The answer is probably both. It becomes a cycle of dependence. The phone feeds the emotion, and the emotion feeds the phone. | 44 comments on LinkedIn

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Happiness rests on three pillars: enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning. Today, meaning is collapsing, especially for the young, because we’ve neglected the part of the brain that asks “why.” To… | Dr. Arthur Brooks | 29 comments

Happiness rests on three pillars: enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning. Today, meaning is collapsing, especially for the young, because we’ve neglected the part of the brain that asks “why.” To rebuild it, we must return to life’s deeper questions: coherence, purpose, and significance. That’s where true happiness begins. | 29 comments on LinkedIn

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Reinvention at 45 isn’t weak. You're supposed to change; that's a normal and healthy thing. Many professionals fear that their best years are behind them by midlife. They feel their edge softening… | Dr. Arthur Brooks | 90 comments

Reinvention at 45 isn’t weak. You're supposed to change; that's a normal and healthy thing. Many professionals fear that their best years are behind them by midlife. They feel their edge softening, their energy shifting, their ambitions changing shape. But research on intelligence over a person's life offers a different—and more hopeful—story. Fluid intelligence (the ability to solve novel problems), peaks in our 30s and then declines. But crystallized intelligence (the ability to synthesize knowledge, teach, and understand complex ideas) rises with age. That’s why many people, especially men who have spent decades climbing, begin to feel unsatisfied around midlife. They’re still chasing fluid rewards, even as their gifts have evolved. See this transition as moving from the first curve to the second. And following your rhumb line, which is the true course of meaning in your life, guided not by comparison or ego, but by wisdom. I’ve had four completely different careers. Every decade, I take it down to the studs and start again, and that reinvention has brought me closer each time to who I truly am and what I’m really here to do. | 90 comments on LinkedIn

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How to Set Intentions in the Morning for Success | Dr. Arthur Brooks posted on the topic | LinkedIn

A recent Harvard Business Review study suggests that morning matters more than you think, as people who set intentions in the morning are more likely to follow through on personal goals. Most of us don’t lack effort. We lack a moment to anchor it. Maybe you have noticed that by the time you’ve checked messages, responded to one or two “quick” things, and skimmed the news, you’ve already handed your attention over to a dozen different claimants. And by noon, the intention you meant to follow is long gone. The science backs this up: mornings offer a unique window when your mind is clearer, thanks to elevated cortisol levels, your emotions are more stable, and your discipline is easier to access. That window closes quickly once the world starts asking for your focus. If you want to make it count, here are three small shifts that make a big difference: 1) Write down one intention before you check your phone. 2) Avoid digital drift before 9 am; your focus is too valuable to give away. 3) Honor your rhythm. If your mornings are sharper, protect them like gold. You can’t control everything your day will bring. But you can choose how it begins. If you want to lead well, love well, or live with intention, start by honoring the beginning. | 33 comments on LinkedIn

Media Appearances

What Happiness Is And How To Build It | Arthur C. Brooks | The Atlantic Festival 2023

Why Smart People Still Chase The Wrong Things ft. Jordan Peterson

Profile Summary

Info	Detail
Name	Dr. Arthur Brooks
Title	Professor at Harvard Kennedy School & Harvard Business School; Columnist at The Atlantic
Focus Areas	Happiness Science, Leadership, Purpose, Behavioral Psychology, Human Flourishing
Books	13 bestsellers including Build the Life You Want and From Strength to Strength
Platforms	Harvard, The Atlantic, global speaking engagements, digital series
Expertise	Neuroscience of happiness, emotional well-being, purpose, relationships, digital discipline
Notable Achievements	#1 NYT bestselling author; world-leading expert on happiness; influential teacher and speaker
Mission	Helping people build happier lives through evidence-based practices

LinkedIn Profile

www.linkedin.com

Dr. Arthur Brooks - #1 NYT Best-Selling Author | Harvard Professor | Columnist at The Atlantic | Helping People Build Happier Lives | LinkedIn

#1 NYT Best-Selling Author | Harvard Professor | Columnist at The Atlantic | Helping People Build Happier Lives · Arthur Brooks is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership and happiness. He is also a columnist at The Atlantic, where he writes the popular weekly “How to Build a Life” column. Brooks is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 13 books, including Build the Life You Want in 2023, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, and From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. As one of the world’s leading experts on the science of human happiness, he appears in the media and travels the world to teach people in private companies, universities, public agencies, and faith communities how they can live happier lives and bring greater well-being to others. · Experience: Harvard Business School · Education: The Pardee RAND Graduate School · Location: Cambridge · 4 connections on LinkedIn. View Dr. Arthur Brooks’ profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 billion members.