In this episode, I talk to Isaac Prilleltensky about well-being and happiness. We start our discussion by highlighting the environment and community’s role in well-being instead of conceptualizing it as a purely individualistic construct. Isaac further elaborates on the dangers of mattering “too much” and why we need to balance personal and collective wellness. We also touch on the topics of fairness, social justice, humanistic psychology, and Isaac’s works as a humor writer. 

Bio

Isaac Prilleltensky holds the inaugural Erwin and Barbara Mautner Chair in Community Well-Being at the University of Miami. He’s published 12 books and over 140 articles and chapters. His interests are in the promotion of well-being in individuals, organizations, and communities; and in the integration of wellness and fairness. His most recent book is How People Matter: Why It Affects Health, Happiness, Love, Work, and Society, co-authored with his wife, Dr. Ora Prilleltensky. 

Website: www.professorisaac.com/ 

Topics 

00:01:10 Isaac’s definition of well-being 

00:04:55 Predictors of well-being and happiness 

00:06:58 The need to matter 

00:09:48 Corrective justice to achieve equality 

00:19:31 Me vs. We Culture 

00:25:44 Fairness is a prerequisite for mattering 

00:28:18 Risks of glorifying grit and resilience 

00:32:16 Balancing liberty, fraternity, and equality for a self-actualized society 

00:39:27 Democratize happiness 

00:43:29 The right and responsibility to matter 

00:51:27 Psychology and the status quo 

00:53:44 Isaac as a humor writer: smarter through laughter 

00:56:21 Fun for Wellness