2025-07-15
1 小时 31 分钟This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedanta.
In the summer of 1776,
33-year-old Thomas Jefferson drafted one of the most important documents in the history of the United States.
The Declaration of Independence laid out a vision for a new country and said all men had God-given rights to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
86 changes to the draft were made by John Adams, Ben Franklin, and others.
Like many writers,
Thomas Jefferson is said to have been unhappy with the changes his editors recommended.
But the line about how we are all entitled to the pursuit of happiness endured.
In recent years, many elements of the Declaration of Independence have come under scrutiny,
including its omission of women, the poor, and enslaved people.
We've examined some of these ideas in an earlier episode that looked at Thomas Jefferson's complicated life story.
Today on the show,
we continue our U2.0 series with a favorite episode that explores Jefferson's psychological claim about what makes for a good life.
What happens in our minds when we pursue happiness?
This week on Hidden Brain.
When you ask people what they want in life, nearly everyone will tell you they want to be happy.
After all, that's the point of finding a great job,
starting a family, or going on wonderful vacations.
At the University of California, Berkeley,