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Part 2: How do we even define happiness? Stories of the mind and the secret director

Series
Is Happiness Overrated?
Audio Embed
Tim tries to define happiness and fails badly doing so. Sometimes definitions are confusing and need to be treated flexibly. Happiness as a label might not be so useful and is very contextual.

The secret director is introduced, and the podcast explores social comparison and labels. This part begins to unpack primary and secondary pain.

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Hand holding camera lens over lake scene
Captioned

Part 1: Introduction

This part sets the scene and manages expectations. It introduces attention to the mind and mindset. There’s a warning about multi-tasking and treadmills.
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Hand holding camera lens over lake scene
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Part 3: I’m a tourist in my own life

We think about moving from spectator to actor in our own lives, away from autopilot using values and goals.
Next
Creative Commons Licence
Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK (BY-NC-SA): England & Wales; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/
Transcript Available

Episode Information

Series
Is Happiness Overrated?
People
Tim Knowlson
Keywords
happiness
individualism
philosophy
gratitude
mindset
Department: Student Welfare and Support Services
Date Added: 08/01/2026
Duration: 00:18:10

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