This is Hidden Brain.
I'm Shankar Vedanta.
Religions tell us they have the key to our best lives.
Advice columnists tell us how to solve problems in our relationships.
And airport bookstores are stuffed with tomes on how to grow rich, manage our time better, and build effective habits.
All these sources of counsel can teach us valuable skills such as planning, patience and perseverance.
These can be vitally important to success.
But in a world overflowing with useful advice, why do so many people feel stuck?
1 Answer Many of us are pursuing goals that are misaligned with our own deepest values and preferences.
This week in the latest installment of our Wellness 2.0 series, what psychology can teach us about choosing a meaningful path for our lives.
When you're a kid, grown ups ask you what you want to do when you're an adult.
When you're a teenager, college counselors ask you what you want to study.
Once you join the workforce, managers ask you what your goals are for the next few years.
At every stage, we are really being asked the same question, what do you want to do with your life?
At the University of Missouri, psychologist Ken Sheldon studies the science of knowing what to want, how to set your sights on targets that will actually make you happy if you achieve them.
Ken sheldon, welcome to Hidden Brain.
Hey, I'm happy to be here.
I want to take you back to 1981.
Ken, you just finished college and moved to Seattle.
You wanted to become a musician.