How to live a good life

如何过好一生

Post Reports

2026-01-18

22 分钟
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At a time of year when many of us are reflecting on our lives and setting goals, we look at the research into what makes for a good life – and share some advice on how to get there. Here’s what science considers a path to a good life. Plus, some tips and advice on how to get there. Are you living a good life? Take this quiz to find out. 7 simple ways to be a bit happier each day Doing good is good for you, research shows Boredom is a warning sign. Here’s what it’s telling you. If you want to hear more stories like this on “Post Reports,” please let us know. You can reach the whole team at podcasts@washpost.com or email Maggie at maggie.penman@washpost.com. The Optimist has a newsletter! Subscribe here. Today’s show was produced by Maggie Penman with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy, who also mixed the show. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and Allison Klein.  Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
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  • I think it's fair to say that we all want to live a good life.

  • But what does that actually mean?

  • This is a question that has preoccupied people for centuries.

  • So much of philosophy and religion has been trying to figure this out.

  • And more recently, science has also chimed in.

  • So it's basically, you know,

  • this big question that we all contemplate from time to time is the life I'm living right now,

  • one that I want to live, one that's worthwhile for me to live.

  • This is my colleague, Richard Sema.

  • He is a neuroscientist and he writes the brain matters column for the post.

  • And it's also a question that psychologists have sort of taken from a bottom-up approach,

  • asking regular people, not these bearded philosophers, about, yeah, what do you find as a good life?

  • And basically, there's three main dimensions or paths,

  • I think, of to a good life that people bring up.

  • This is what I love about science, is it's like, what does it mean to live a good life?

  • Well, there are three ways.

  • There is an answer.

  • It's quite concrete.

  • I'm Maggie Penman.

  • It's Saturday, January 17.