Something is indeed lost when psychiatrists no longer listen to their patients as people, but rather as a car mechanic would listen to an engine, looking only for clues about which knob to adjust next.

relationships—having an annoying office mate or room-mate, or having chronic conflict with your spouse—is one of the surest ways to reduce your happiness.

If someone asks you to explain your judgment, you confabulate. You don’t really know why you think something is beautiful, but your interpreter module (the rider) is skilled at making up reasons,

Reciprocity is a deep instinct; it is the basic currency of social life.

I am dragged along by a strange new force. Desire and reason are pulling in different directions. I see the right way and approve it, but follow the wrong.

we face the paradox of abundance: Quantity undermines the quality of our engagement.

Human thinking depends on metaphor. We understand new or complex things in relation to things we already know.

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”

As a first step, work less, earn less, accumulate less, and “consume” more family time, vacations, and other enjoyable activities.