5. Pleasure vs Well-Being — and Where Meaning Fits In: A Neuroscientist’s Perspective

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Matters of Meaning

Olivia Hicks

8 episodes

1 week ago

Matters of Meaning is a podcast for anyone who’s ever paused to ask, “Is this it?” or “What really matters to me?” Together, we'll explore the big questions — what makes life meaningful, and why that matters. Across cultures and disciplines, one truth stands out: it’s not wealth or status that drives us, but meaning. In each episode, I sit down with people who are asking bold questions & rethinking what matters — in their work, creativity, and everyday lives. This podcast isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about the inquiry!

Society & Culture

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Society & Culture

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5. Pleasure vs Well-Being — and Where Meaning Fits In: A Neuroscientist’s Perspective

Matters of Meaning

49 minutes 13 seconds

5 months ago

5. Pleasure vs Well-Being — and Where Meaning Fits In: A Neuroscientist’s Perspective

Is our obsession with chasing pleasure putting our well-being — and our chance to live meaningfully — at risk?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Bhuvan Awasthi, a cognitive neuroscientist and global leader in the science-policy-diplomacy space. Currently a Senior Behavioural Scientist with the Canadian Government, Bhuvan’s work draws on insights from neuroscience, emotion, and decision-making research.

Named Australia’s Neuroscientist of the Year for his outreach work, Bhuvan brings fascinating behavioural insights to help us better understand ourselves. Together, we unpack the difference between pleasure and well-being, where meaning fits in, and practical ways to help us make better decisions and live more meaningfully.

Resources:

The Dunedin Study: https://dunedinstudy.otago.ac.nz/

A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3041102/

Further reading on the relationship between self-control and well-being:

Unraveling the Relationship Between Trait Self-Control and Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Four Self-Control Strategies: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00706/full
High Self-Control Individuals Prefer Meaning Over Pleasure: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19485506251323948
See also a media write up on the above study: https://www.psypost.org/people-with-high-self-control-prefer-meaning-over-pleasure-study-finds/