#22 The Happiness Taboo

In this episode, Arnold Beekes unpacks a striking piece of psychology history: an article by Scott Barry Kaufman revealing that Abraham Maslow — the famous psychologist behind the pyramid of needs — wrote a chapter back in 1969 concluding that a substantial portion of how happy you are comes down to the luck of your genetic draw, and then chose never to publish it, fearing the implications. Arnold argues that suppressing this finding for over 50 years has quietly caused enormous suffering, leaving countless people to believe there's something wrong with them for not being as happy as everyone around them, despite doing all the "right" things — gratitude journals, exercise, self-help books. He draws a direct parallel to the business and entrepreneurship world, where the same "follow these seven steps and you'll be a millionaire" formula gets sold as universally guaranteed, and when it doesn't work, people turn the blame inward instead of questioning the promise itself. Arnold's takeaway is a reframe, not a resignation: this isn't proof you can't be happy, it's proof that you are genuinely unique, and that a practice working for one person is never a guarantee it will work identically for you. The episode closes with a genuinely moving moment of everyday beauty: footage of Spanish footballer Nico Williams, fresh off a championship win, finding his mother in the stadium and handing her his gold medal — a tribute to the journey she made walking through the Sahara from Ghana to build a better life for her family in Spain.   🔗 About Your Host (Arnold Beekes) 🌐 Website: https://bio.link/beekes 💪 Brain Gym: https://braingym.fitness 🧠 Brain Athletes: https://brainathletes.club 🚀 Innovation Athletes: https://innovationathletes.club 🎓 Join our Skool brain-fitness community: https://www.skool.com/brain-fitness-7070   Roy Coughlan · The Podfather Network — Editor & Promoter Website: https://roycoughlan.com/ Virtual Assistants: https://va.world/ Private Networking Group: Learn about a Private Networking Group in 50 US States & 49+ Countries with 700+ Members https://connectedleaders.academy Brain Upgrade: https://brainupgrade.org/ The Authority Alliance: A Foundation of Experts — community for entrepreneurs, coaches, and thought leaders to connect, collaborate, and grow their authority together: https://theauthorityalliance.com/   #BetweenTheEars #BrainUpgrade #Happiness #Psychology #SelfCompassion #PersonalGrowth #ArnoldBeekes #Uniqueness #EverydayBeauty