SOLVED with Mark Manson

So here's the thing about happiness: the harder you chase it, the faster it runs. That's not some bumper sticker wisdom. It's basically the core finding of decades of research.

In this highlight, Drew and I get into the stuff from our original happiness episode that I think people need to hear the most. We talk about Schopenhauer's idea that happiness is less like finding a treasure and more like removing a rock from your shoe. We dig into why social comparison doesn't have to destroy you (if you compare yourself to the right people for the right reasons). We cover the paradox of choice, why the maximizer mentality is a trap, and why Jeff Bezos says 70% certainty is the sweet spot for decisions.

Then we get into the U-shaped curve of happiness across your lifespan. Your 20s are intense, your 40s can be brutal, and your 70s might actually be the best decade of your life. We talk about why, and what to do about wherever you currently are on that curve.

If you listened to the original episode, this is the part that ties it all together. If you didn't, start here.

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We pulled over 2,600 studies and ranked 19 of the most common self-improvement techniques across three dimensions: research quality, consistency of results, and actual effect size. Then we sorted them into four tiers: legitimately works, works sometimes, probably not helping, and straight up bullshit. Microdosing landed in the bullshit tier. Crystal healing outperformed several "serious" techniques. And the number one most effective strategy is something so stupidly simple it's almost annoying.

We also get into why everything at the bottom of the list shares one thing in common, why the middle of the list is mostly a fancy placebo, and why nearly everything at the top has been around for thousands of years.

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Chapters:

0:06:02 CHAPTER 1: Category 4: Bullsh*t

0:27:29 CHAPTER 2: Category 3: Probably Not Helping

0:51:37 CHAPTER 3: Category 2: Works Sometimes

1:23:50 CHAPTER 4: Category 1: Legitimately Works

1:59:19 CHAPTER 5: Conclusion

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This book has sold over a hundred million copies, billionaires swear by it. But what if it's a lie? Does the effectiveness of the book change if we find out that the author is a huge scammer and quite possibly made up the whole story that spearheaded the book?

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Written & Directed by Mark Manson
Edited by Michelle Hsieh
Director of Photography Jess Choi
Thumbnail by Jonathan Sippel

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Meditation has been sold to us as a magic pill for so long that the backlash is almost as overblown as the hype. I spent years deep in Buddhist practice, went on retreats, meditated daily — and then slowly discovered that half the gurus evangelizing it were alcoholics, abusers, or running Rolls-Royce-funded cults. Here's what the more careful research actually shows: there are three things meditation does reliably well, and they’re probably not what you've been promised. More importantly, almost everything you've been told about how to do it is wrong — starting with the idea that the goal is to quiet your mind. If your brain turns into a chaotic mess the moment you close your eyes, that's not a failure. That's the whole point. Get your free episode guide: https://solvedpodcast.com/meditation/

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Chapters:
8:15 CHAPTER 1: Skeptic Claim #1: Meditation Is Overhyped
22:45 CHAPTER 2: Skeptic Claim #2: "Meditation Isn't for Me"
48:33 CHAPTER 3: Skeptic Claim #3: The New-Agey, "Woo-Woo" Crowd Turns Me Off
1:01:01 CHAPTER 3: A Secular, Grounded Alternative: Meditation Without Metaphysics
1:17:35 CHAPTER 4: Conclusion: What Meditation Really Is

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If you’ve ever felt stuck, or like you’re doing all the right things but something still feels off, there’s a good chance it’s a values problem. Not a discipline problem, not a productivity problem. A values problem. Most people have never actually sat down and figured out what they care about. Not really anyway.

This clip is from our episode How to Find and Live By Your Values, which came out back in May 2025 and is honestly one of the episodes I’m most proud of. Drew and I go through a bunch of exercises to help you actually figure out what you value, not what you think you’re supposed to value. 

We cover things like:


How to identify your core values with a simple hypothetical scenario.


How to clearly define what you want your legacy to be


Ways to prioritize your values by making tough decisions.


How to turn frustrations into your deepest values.


Why the hierarchy of your values is more critical than any single one of them.


And why your willingness to sacrifice for something says a lot more about you than just what you think you want in life.

• Listen to the full Values episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5pdYVl60TqKLNAwKgFdk0C?si=0aa34991b49f4fcc

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• Get clarity on what actually matters. Try Purpose, Mark's AI mentor app that learns your patterns, challenges your blind spots, and helps you take action. Get 7 days free at ⁠⁠https://www.purpose.app

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