science of happiness and well-being, where
all the homework was designed to make her
students happier and healthier. She did the
homework, too.
“My advice for those considering a second
curve is to make sure it is something that truly
lights you up and allows you to shine and grow,”
Strahilevitz said. “If I won a billion dollars in some
crazy lottery, I would still keep doing this. I don’t
expect to ever look for a third curve. This is the
curve that I was made for.”
Whether it’s a new job or making changes to
the roles in your existing job, she said, “people
around the world are looking for greater
fulfillment and more happiness. We’re no longer
willing to settle for just a paycheck.”
When Strahilevitz half-pivoted (she still teaches
marketing as well), she embraced a growing field
of social research: Happiness with a capital H.
Nobody does it quite like Arthur C. Brooks, first
a professional classical French hornist, then
president of the conservative think tank the
American Enterprise Institute and now on the
faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School and
Harvard Business School. He’s also an author,
happiness podcaster and writer of the “How to
Build a Life” column at The Atlantic.
Brooks has amassed vast research on happiness
and the second half of life in his latest book,
“From Strength to Strength.” A social scientist,
he filled the book with explanations and
theories about brain function and its ups
and downs through time, and anecdotes
about the capacities of some of history’s most
famous figures, from Charles Darwin to Linus
Pauling, the only person to win two different