<em>The Atlantic Daily</em>: Finding Happiness During a Pandemic

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This prolonged period of social distancing may leave plenty of time for contemplation. Why not use this moment to take stock of your own emotional well-being?

Today, we’re launching a column to help you do just that: “How to Build a Life,” by Arthur C. Brooks, who teaches happiness at Harvard Business School (yes, really).

In his first dispatch, Arthur takes a mathematical approach, outlining three equations for a happy life—“equations that, in my opinion, you need to know to start managing your own happiness more proactively.” Start by studying them.

This column has been in the works for some time, but my hope is that launching it during the pandemic will help you leverage a contemplative mindset while you have the time to think about what matters most to you.

– Arthur C. Brooks

Bonus read: In 2016, our staff writer Joe Pinsker tried to answer a related question: Why are so many smart people unhappy?

What to read if … you are wondering what a drug to fight the coronavirus would look like: