Overview of How to live a good life
This episode of The Washington Post’s The Optimist (host Maggie Penman) examines decades of psychological research on what people consider a “good life.” Interviewing Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima and researchers Shige Oishi and Erin Westgate, the episode presents a simple framework: psychologists identify three distinct—but sometimes overlapping—paths to a good life: a happy life, a meaningful life, and a psychologically rich life. The episode also explains the research behind these categories, shares survey findings, and gives practical, small-step advice for shifting toward whichever path you value.
Key concepts: the three paths to a good life
- Happy life
- Emphasis on positive emotions, comfort, satisfaction, frequent small joys.
- “Batting average” of good experiences—more positive than negative feelings day to day.
- Meaningful life
- Emphasis on purpose, contribution, significance, and sustained relationships.
- Feeling your life “matters” and you’re working toward a direction that helps others or improves the world.
- Psychologically rich life
- Emphasis on novelty, perspective-changing experiences, challenge, and variety (adventures, learning, big life changes).
- Opposite of boredom; includes experiences that expand or transform your worldview.
Research background and evidence
- Shige Oishi (University of Chicago) and colleagues developed the framework after studying happiness and meaning and noticing something missing in existing models.
- Erin Westgate (University of Florida) brought insights from boredom research (e.g., the controversial shock-in-the-room study) that helped motivate the psychologically rich life concept as the opposite of boredom.
- Oishi and colleagues analyzed examples (including obituaries) and survey data to show distinct clusters of people’s life narratives (happy, meaningful, psychologically rich).
- The Good Life Scale (research tool) measures people’s scores on the three dimensions and has been adapted into a reader quiz by The Post.
Findings and notable statistics
- If asked to choose only one ideal good life:
- ~60% of people pick happiness
- ~25–30% pick meaning
- ~12–13% pick psychological richness
- Regrets study: When looking back, people most often regret missed opportunities that would have made their lives more psychologically rich (e.g., not studying abroad, not moving, not traveling).
- Different people validly prefer different paths—there is no single universal “best” life for everyone.
Practical advice — how to move toward each path
- To increase happiness
- Prioritize frequent small pleasures (“joy snacks”): regular coffee with a friend, daily walks, routine pleasant activities.
- Build reliable habits that increase everyday positive affect and reduce negative stressors.
- To increase meaning
- Invest in sustained relationships—consistency and long-term support matter.
- Volunteer or commit to ongoing activities that contribute to others or to a valued cause (meaning accrues from repeated, sustained engagement).
- To increase psychological richness
- Introduce novelty and challenge: try new hobbies, take a different commute route, travel, study something new.
- Plan small, intentional moments of spontaneity; accept temporary discomfort as part of growth.
- Journal about novel experiences to preserve and reflect on perspective-changing moments (treat them as “career highlights” of your life).
- General recommendation for change
- Take incremental steps—you don’t need a dramatic immediate overhaul. “You’re going to be 45 anyway”: start now with manageable actions.
- Reframe long-term goals as a sequence of small choices rather than a single all-or-nothing leap.
Notable quotes and insights
- “A happy life might end with, ‘It was really fun.’ A meaningful one, ‘I made a difference.’ A psychologically rich life, ‘What an adventure.’”
- Shige Oishi on his own life: “I feel that I had a psychologically rich life. So I want a happier life.”
- Regret insight: people most commonly regret not doing things that would have made their lives richer (travel, studying abroad, big changes).
How to use the Good Life quiz (Washington Post)
- The Post adapted the Good Life Scale so readers can:
- Get average scores for each of the three dimensions.
- Compare their scores to representative U.S. data supplied by the researchers.
- State which path they ideally want if they had to choose one.
- Receive tailored suggestions about small steps to move toward the chosen path.
Main takeaways
- There are multiple valid ways to live a “good life”—happiness, meaning, and psychological richness—and people legitimately differ in which they value most.
- Many people prioritize happiness, but long-term regret often centers on missed opportunities for psychological richness.
- Small, repeated actions (nurturing relationships, daily pleasures, adding novelty) accumulate into the kind of life you want; you don’t need an all-or-nothing transformation.
- Naming and measuring which good-life path resonates with you (e.g., via the Good Life Scale) helps guide concrete, manageable changes.
Action checklist (quick start)
- Take The Post’s Good Life quiz to see where you currently score and what you ideally want.
- If you want more meaning: schedule a recurring volunteer slot or strengthen one key relationship this month.
- If you want more happiness: identify three “joy snacks” to add to your weekly routine.
- If you want more psychological richness: plan one new experience in the next 30–90 days (different route, class, trip, or hobby) and journal about it afterward.
Credits: Episode hosted by Maggie Penman (The Optimist), featuring Richard Sima, Shige Oishi, and Erin Westgate; produced and edited by The Washington Post team.