I used to think the whole purpose of life was pursuing hapiness. Everyone said that the path to hapiness was success, so I searched for that ideal job, that perfect boyfriend, that beautiful apartment. But instread of ever feeling fullilled, I felt anxious and adrift. And I wasn't alone, my friends : They have struggled with this, too

Eventually, I decided to go to graduate school for positive psychology to learn what truly makes people happy. But what I discoverd there changed my life. The data showed that chasing happniess can make people unhappy. And what really struck me was this, the suicide rate has been rising around the world, and it recently reached a 30 year high in America. Even though life is getting objectively better by nearly every conceivable standard, more people feel hopeless, depressed and alone. There's an emptiness gnawing away at people, and you don't have to be clinically depressed to feel it. Sooner or later, I think we all wonder: Is this all there is? And according to the research, what predicts this despair is not a lack of happiness. It's lack of something else, a lack of having meaning in life.