How to Build a Life
A column about pointing yourself toward happiness
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Getty / The Atlantic The Right Choices in Parenting
When parents avoid the complexities of independent decision making, they may fail to understand where analysis remains crucial.
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Jan Buchczik How to Love People Who Love Conspiracies
Fighting over the facts is unlikely to convince anyone.
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Jan Buchczik How to Make Life More Transcendent
Even if you’re not religious
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Jan Buchczik Envy, the Happiness Killer
Eradicating this ugly emotion entirely would be impossible, but we can stop fueling it with our behavior.
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Getty / The Atlantic The Complexities of Human Love
Tech may not be responsible for all the woes of modern love and human connection—but it may reflect our innate desire to find simple solutions to complex problems.
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Jan Buchczik If You Want Success, Pursue Happiness
Many people chase achievement, assuming it will lead to well-being. They should reverse that order of operations.
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Getty / The Atlantic When Virtues Become Vices
When addictive behaviors override our desires, it may be a sign to investigate the gap between what we crave and what’s really good for us.
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Jan Buchczik Why We Do Things We Know We’ll Regret
Our instincts often steer us to love things and use people. We need to do the opposite.
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Jan Buchczik Technology Can Make Your Relationships Shallower
But it’s all in how you use it.
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How To Season 3: When Expectations Don’t Meet Reality
The building blocks for realigning expectations and reality in happiness
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Jan Buchczik Don’t Objectify Yourself
Thinking of yourself as an observer is better for your happiness than obsessing over being observed.
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Jan Buchczik 11 Ancient Solutions for Modern Malaise
The Roman philosopher Seneca’s essay “On a Happy Life” is full of lessons that are as pertinent today as they were two millennia ago.
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Jan Buchczik What’s Missing From Empathy
Feeling others’ pain can make everyone less happy if you don’t learn to tolerate it.
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Jan Buchczik Don’t Teach Your Kids to Fear the World
Scaring children won’t keep them safe. Instead, help them see the good in the world.
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Jan Buchczik A Shortcut for Feeling Just a Little Happier
Mental and physical pain share neurological roots. A simple painkiller can help with both.
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Jan Buchczik Honesty Is Love
Sharing hard truths might be uncomfortable, but it’s a surer route to happiness than hiding them.
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Jan Buchczik To Get Out of Your Head, Get Out of Your House
Spending time in nature can help relieve stress and anxiety.
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Jan Buchczik How to Embrace Doing Nothing
Absolute idleness is both harder and more rewarding than it seems.
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Jan Buchczik How to Be Happy in a Recession
A financial downturn doesn’t have to cause an emotional one.
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Jan Buchczik A Happiness Columnist’s Three Biggest Happiness Rules
A good life isn’t just about getting the details right. Here are some truths that transcend circumstance and time.
