Why aren’t people happier?

- [Narrator] Since human experience occurs via the brain, it's processes in the brain that processes in the brain that produce the difficult, painful experiences of life. The stress, disappointment, dissatisfaction, frustration, worry, sorrow, hurt, shame, anger, unease, the bad news, the ennui, the sense of is this all that life holds that we could sum up in a single word, suffering. So how does the brain generate suffering? Let's consider six fundamental properties of the brain, each of which is an engine of suffering. These are all hardwired, based on billions of years of evolution. They have been essential to promote survival. They have enabled you to be here today, listening to this program. But, they are also conditions that lead to suffering, and understanding these can equip you to use and change your brain in ways that lead you suffer less, feel greater well-being, and function better at home and at work. So it's…