Aging is a funny thing; it often creeps up on us when we least anticipate it. In our discussion with Arthur Brooks about his new book, “From Strength or Strength,” he acknowledges this fact but offers some guidance on how to seek maximum success and happiness, even if your prime is only visible in the rearview mirror.
Brooks, the William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School and former president of the American Enterprise Institute, has spent decades speaking and writing about happiness and entrepreneurship. In this discussion, hosted by IHS President and CEO Emily Chamlee-Wright, he remarks on the great potential we have in the latter years of life and how we need only follow the lessons of our forebears if we want to fully activate that potential.
Brooks emphasizes a major transition people undergo when they shift away from fluid intelligence and into a more ambiguous and less familiar crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence comprises your analytical capabilities; whereas crystallized intelligence describes the experiential knowledge you acquire over your life. Brooks argues that anticipating and acting upon this shift makes for a happier and more meaningful life.“This book is a kind of ‘happiness 401(k) plan’ that shows all of the investments that the happiest older people have in common,” Brooks says. “And number one is they all got on their crystallized intelligence curve sometime in their forties or fifties.”Similarly, Brooks comments on what he calls the “striver’s curse,” or the point at which striving becomes increasingly futile as one ages. This often leads to the hedonic treadmill which makes it feel as if one is in constant need of attaining some ultimate bliss without ever getting there. He argues that the principles of a free society cultivate the set of virtues needed to overcome these late-stage obstacles.
“The right goals are not money, power, pleasure, and fame… those are instrumental goals that lead to the less earthbound ultimate goals. The intrinsic goals should be faith, family, friendship, and work in which you earn your success and serve other people.”– Arthur Brooks
Brooks highlights the life of Johann Sebastian Bach to illustrate the transitional phase from fluid intelligence to crystallized intelligence. A musical genius and composer of the 17th and 18th centuries, Bach was prolific at an early age, raking in vast sums of commissions and innovating the music scene on a grand scale. But then “he lost his ability to innovate… the reason is because his fluid intelligence was in the cellar. By that point, he jumped onto his second curve by becoming the most respected and beloved teacher of his time,” Brooks observes.The classical liberal experiment, he argues, has expanded the choices available to individuals and fostered a greater space for moral and spiritual flourishing. “You’re not a good classical liberal unless you’re taking care of your relationships and tending to your morality,” he says. “Self-improvement is the science of happiness administered at the individual level in a classical liberal society.”If the transition into a new stage of life seems to be intractable, Brooks presents a hopeful case that challenges this assertion. He notes that, although overwhelming at times, a transitional period in one’s life heightens your level of creativity and perceptiveness to new opportunities.“The space between the status quo and the uncertain future stages are when you are most creative and poised to make major improvements.” Instead of fearing these moments, he argues, we should embrace them and let the tide of change sweep us into a better, healthier, and happier life.IHS strives to bring together scholars and intellectuals like Arthur Brooks who share an interest in advancing the principles and practice of a free society. To learn more about our network of scholars, as well as our wide range of programs, visit TheIHS.org.
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Aging is a funny thing; it often creeps up on us when we least anticipate it. In our discussion with Arthur Brooks about his new book, “From Strength or Strength,” he acknowledges this fact but offers some guidance on how to seek maximum success and happiness, even if your prime is only visible in the rearview mirror.
Brooks emphasizes a major transition people undergo when they shift away from fluid intelligence and into a more ambiguous and less familiar crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence comprises your analytical capabilities; whereas crystallized intelligence describes the experiential knowledge you acquire over your life. Brooks argues that anticipating and acting upon this shift makes for a happier and more meaningful life.
