Arthur Brooks to discuss pursuit of happiness, success

Arthur Brooks, a nationally acclaimed social scientist, bestselling author and Harvard professor, will deliver Olin Business School’s inaugural Brauer Lecture Series event Monday, April 11.

The event will be held from 5:30–7 p.m. CDT in Graham Chapel on Washington University in St. Louis’ Danforth Campus, and will include a 45-minute lecture followed by a Q&A. Students, alumni, faculty, staff and members of the greater St. Louis business community are invited to attend this free event. Registration is requested to ensure adequate seating. The lecture also will be simulcast in Frick Forum in Knight Hall.

Brooks’ lecture — “The Pursuit of Happiness and True Success” — will be based on his book “Gross National Happiness” and his documentary “The Pursuit.” He will focus on how people can find fulfillment through their work within the free-enterprise system and extract life lessons that can immediately help everyone pursue happiness, forge stronger relationships and build more meaningful lives.

Brooks is a bestselling author, a columnist for The Atlantic and host of the podcast “The Art of Happiness with Arthur Brooks.” He is also the William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. Before joining the Harvard faculty in July 2019, he served for 10 years as president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI), one of the world’s leading think tanks. During this time, he was selected as one of Fortune’s “50 World’s Greatest Leaders.”

Local food trucks Seoul Taco, Go Gyro, Sweet Divine Cupcakes, Pappy’s and Blues Fired Pizza will be on site and available free of charge for students following the event.

About the series

Made possible by the generosity of Stephen and Camilla Brauer, the lecture series was created to explore and encourage dialogue on the American free enterprise system and its influence on economic growth, public policy and world affairs. The inaugural event was originally planned for 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sponsored in collaboration with Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., the Brauer Lecture Series will feature leading scholars and public figures from across the United States and support student growth and development in alignment with Olin’s vision of world-changing business education. Featured lecturers are encouraged to discuss how their values guide their daily lives while also highlighting the importance of free-market economics.

“America’s free market enterprise system is not just about creating economic prosperity — it protects the core of our democratic system,” said Liberty Vittert, professor of practice of data science at Olin Business School and faculty director of the Brauer Lecture Series.

“We are grateful to the Brauer family for their generosity and the opportunity the bring key thought leaders to campus. Our hope is that this universitywide lecture series will spark discussion, debate and a deeper understanding of the critical importance of economic growth through free markets.”