Oprah’s Co-Author Arthur C. Brooks Says They Share the Same Goal: ‘Lift People Up and Bring Them Together’ (Exclusive)

When Arthur C. Brooks, a professor who studies happiness, heard that Oprah Winfrey was trying to reach him, he said his first response was, “Yeah, I’m Batman, too.” But it turned out to be true: Winfrey became a fan of Brooks’ column in the Atlanticand then she read his book from 2022. From strength to strength: Finding success, happiness, and deep purpose in the second half of life. Now she hoped the two could work together.

The couple’s first venture together was when Brooks appeared on Winfrey’s Super soul podcast in April 2022. But they weren’t done yet.

After they finally met in person, Brooks says they realized they had to write a book together. “She’s interesting and super smart. And so we started cooking this thing, this book idea.”

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‘Build the Life You Want’ by Oprah Winfrey and Arthur C. Brooks.

courtesy of PRH

That book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Becoming Happierreleased on 12.09.

In it, Brooks—who quit his job as a think tank executive to study happiness—and Winfrey write about how people can improve their lives by first knowing and managing their emotions, and then by “working on the pillars upon which a strong a happy life,” which Brooks says consists of family, friends, work and faith. “It was really a very positive experience because Oprah and I saw our lives this way and that was the message we are trying to bring to other people,” he adds.

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As for his own work, Brooks cites the influence of philosophers: “Philosophers are the ones who ask interesting questions, theologians, everyone from Buddha to Schopenhauer. These are the ones who ask interesting questions about life and happiness.”

Then, he says, he reflects on the work of neuroscientists: “Okay, if we’re going to understand this, if we’re talking about these questions of happiness, how is it actually going to work? You go to neuroscience for the mechanism of action. When the brain processes these kinds of questions, what’s really going on? ”

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Ultimately, he turns to psychology and other social sciences to find evidence that people are happier when they follow the guidelines he and Oprah lay out in the book.

In the end, Brooks says, “It’s a lot of ancient teachings, a lot of common sense, a lot of what grandma would say.”

Arthur C. Brooks.

Rahil Ahad/Legatum Institute

When asked if there is one thing everyone can do to become happier, he boils it down to a simple answer: love.

“Love more. Don’t push love away. That’s it. Don’t wait for love. Go love. Go love more. Go say I love you. Go act like I love you. If you’re religious, tell God that too. And then when love comes to you, don’t push it away. Happiness is love. Period,” he says. “See why Oprah and I get along!”

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After working on the book together, Brooks says, he began to see Winfrey as a friend, but also something else. “I want to be more Oprah, quite frankly,” he says. “She is an extremely positive role model for me.”

When faced with a difficult situation, he says, it makes sense to “offer things in prayer and then say to yourself, ‘Well, what’s Oprah doing: WWOD?'”

For more on Oprah Winfrey and Arthur C. Brook’s new book, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Becoming Happier is available wherever books are sold on Tuesday, September 12.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education