How to Build a Life
A column about pointing yourself toward happiness
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Illustration by Jan Buchczik Choose the Activism That Won’t Make You Miserable
The best way of trying to change the world is the one that will offer you happiness too.
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Illustration by Jan Buchczik What Rainn Wilson Knows About God
You might not think of going to the actor from The Office for spiritual guidance, but you really should.
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Illustration by Jan Buchczik Make Yourself Happy: Be Kind
How to break the negative feedback loop that can make us act mean
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Jan Buchczik A Crucial Character Trait for Happiness
Don’t curb your enthusiasm.
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Jan Buchczik The Not-So-Secret Key to Emotional Balance
Crying can help you keep your feelings in check. It’s also inextricably bound up in spirituality.
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Jan Buchczik Parasocial Relationships Are Just Imaginary Friends for Adults
If you get too invested in a fake friendship, your real ones might suffer.
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Jan Buchczik There’s Exactly One Good Reason to Buy a House
Owning a home won’t make you happy. Filling it with love will.
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Jan Buchczik How Smart People Can Stop Being Miserable
Intelligence can make you happier, but only if you see it as more than a tool to get ahead.
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Jan Buchczik Make a To-Don’t List
When you’re feeling stuck, focusing on the things you hate can help.
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Jan Buchczik Happiness Is a Warm Coffee
All hail the miracle bean.
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Jan Buchczik An Old Romantic Custom We Should Bring Back
The best gift you can give your Valentine is reading a poem out loud.
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Jan Buchczik The Hidden Link Between Workaholism and Mental Health
Long hours on the job can temporarily ease the symptoms of depression and anxiety. But you’re better off leaving the office and facing your feelings head-on.
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Jan Buchczik Nothing Drains You Like Mixed Emotions
Feeling conflicted can be even more distressing than feeling bad. Here’s how to manage it.
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Jan Buchczik How We Learned to Be Lonely
In the early days of the pandemic, many of us got used to solitude. It’s a habit we need to break.
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Jan Buchczik How to Make the Most of Bad Gifts
Presents are generally terrible, but they can still bring you joy.
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Jan Buchczik Breakups Always Hurt, but You Can Shorten the Suffering
Three steps to get over your ex
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Jan Buchczik Does Overindulgence Make You Happy?
Why we binge as a way of celebrating.
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Jan Buchczik Meetings Are Miserable
One of the most straightforward paths to happiness at work is to fight against the scourge of time-consuming, unproductive meetings at every opportunity.
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Getty / The Atlantic A New Formula for Happiness
The happiness we seek can require investing earlier than we think—and may help us align our expectations and reality at the end of life.
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Jan Buchczik Marriage Is a Team Sport
Approach disagreements with your partner not as a “me,” but as a “we.”
