The Messy Art of Disagreeing
This week we took a clear-eyed look at some of life's toughest challenges.
This week we dug into two new books that tackle two of the biggest stressors in modern life: figuring out what we’re here to do, and figuring out how to talk to each other when we don’t see eye-to-eye. Read on for the big ideas from both—and a few simple shifts you can start using immediately.
Discover the best new nonfiction before everyone else. Join the Next Big Idea Club for curated books, author deep dives, and members-only conversations.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
How to find the meaning of your life.
Let’s face it, modern life can be kind of a bummer. We’re glued to our phones, starved for meaning, haunted by a gnawing sense of emptiness. Enter Arthur C. Brooks. He’s a Harvard professor, happiness expert, and a man with a plan to help you find your why and build a life that actually fills you up.
Arthur’s new book is The Meaning of Your Life. You can hear our chat with him on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or watch on YouTube.
This week’s Book of the Day sponsor is Spirituality Through a Highly Sensitive Lens by Dr. Elaine Aron — a deeply personal guide from the bestselling author of The Highly Sensitive Person, offering the first-ever objective overview of meditation and paths to enlightenment for anyone seeking inner peace in overwhelming times.
Book Bite of the Week
How can you disagree better?
Disagreement doesn’t have to turn into conflict. It can actually be a good thing—energizing and productive, even. The trick is knowing how to handle it. If we use science and put in a little effort, anyone can learn to disagree better.
Julia Minson is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is a behavioral scientist with over twenty years of research experience in conflict, communication, negotiations, and decision-making. Pick up a copy of her new book How to Disagree Better on Amazon or check out her key insights on the Next Big Idea app.
This edition of Book of the Day is sponsored by Granola. Get three months free at granola.ai/idea.
🎉 Happy Publication Week! 🎉
The following Next Big Idea Club Must-Read authors got to celebrate the publication of their books yesterday--congratulations to them all!
Alexandra Sifferlin, The Elusive Body: Patients, Doctors, and the Diagnosis Crisis
Tyler Beck Goodspeed, Recession: The Real Reasons Economies Shrink and What to Do About It
Arthur Brooks, The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness
Jenny Lawson (thebloggess), How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Mason Currey, Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life
Eric Zimmer, How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life
Gillian Sandstrom, Once Upon a Stranger: The Science of How “Small” Talk Can Add Up to a Big Life
Ryan Roslansky & Aneesh Raman, Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI
Arindrajit Dube, The Wage Standard: What's Wrong in the Labor Market and How to Fix It