A guest investor who studied psychology at Harvard under the happiness researchers Dan Gilbert, Tal Ben-Shahar, and Shawn Achor explains how happiness is a long-term performance advantage, not a reward for achievement. The conversation pivots into a broader discussion about enthusiasm as an undervalued and undersupplied skill among successful people — one that Sam and Shaan credit as a core driver of the podcast’s loyal audience.
Speakers: Sam Parr (host), Shaan Puri (host), Guest (investor, Inspired Capital, Harvard psychology)
Enthusiasm as a Superpower [00:00:00]
Guest: Enthusiasm is such a superpower that most people could tap into — and totally don’t, for whatever reason.
Shaan: So you graduated from undergrad and dropped out of Harvard Business?
Guest: Okay, yeah.
Shaan: And you said you studied happiness — what was that like? Is that a real class?
Guest: I took a class called “Getting Rich,” but that wasn’t my major — it was just one class. I actually studied psychology. I started in a track called behavioral economics and then ended up in psychology. Specifically, there was a happiness lab that Dan Gilbert was running, where we focused on how people make decisions and what makes us happy.
The headline of my whole experience was: we’re really bad at making decisions that will make us happy. We do things we think will make us happy, but getting the fancy car doesn’t make you happy — then you have to clean the car. Getting a bigger home outside the city doesn’t necessarily make you happy, because then you commute farther to work. It’s a really valuable perspective. It’s the little things that actually make us happy.
Shawn Achor and the Happiness Advantage [00:02:00]
Shaan: I love that. This is very on topic — I remember back in the day there was a guy, I think a professor at Harvard named Shawn Achor. Is that somebody you know?
Guest: Yes, he was one of my teachers. Shawn Achor. He’s wonderful. And his core professor, Tal Ben-Shahar, and Phillip Stone were my thesis advisors.
Shaan: He gave this TED Talk that was pretty great. I still remember it — I watched it like ten years ago. Some talks just stick with you. I think it was called “The Happiness Advantage” or something like that. If I remember correctly, the thesis was: being happy is actually an advantage for getting great results. Some people think about it the other way — like, “if a great thing happens, then I’ll be happy.” His argument was the opposite: if I’m happy first, I’ll have better results. Am I remembering that accurately?
Guest: The short version is: under extreme duress and extreme stress, you can outperform in the short term. But if you’re happy, relaxed, and fulfilled, you outperform in the long run.
When you’re building teams for long-term success — I’m at Inspired Capital, it’s a venture fund, and we have a really unique group of people who’ve come together to build this firm — I’m very focused on long-term happiness, because you outperform in the long run.
The other thing I learned from Shawn and Tal is that positive energy and attitude are an undervalued resource. People are naturally drawn to people who are positive. If you’re super negative, over and over, people don’t want to be around you, they don’t want to work with you, they don’t want to show up for you. One thing people always ask me is what I’d tell high schoolers, and I say: have a good attitude. It goes really far. That’s part of the same point — happiness is an advantage, and so is positivity.
Enthusiasm Is in Complete Undersupply [00:05:00]
Shaan: I always talk about this — enthusiasm is in complete undersupply among successful people. When you’re trying to compete and be successful, being the wrong person… I’m clearly the least skilled person in most rooms. But what I’m saying is that for most of the environments I’ve been around — whether it’s entrepreneurs, investors, or the bigger company I’m at now because mine got acquired — enthusiasm is seen as a low-status thing. Being reserved is seen as somehow more prestigious or powerful.
I’ve gone the complete opposite direction. I’m overly enthusiastic, and I have maybe one-tenth the skills of the people around me, but I’ve been able to go so far because I think enthusiasm is such a superpower that most people don’t tap into.
Guest: I totally agree with you. And beyond agreeing, I think it’s worth saying that it is a skill we can all adopt. Trying to have a positive outlook — I can’t grow taller, I can’t improve certain traits I just don’t have. But trying to be positive and joyful? That’s something we can all put on. It may not be easy for everyone, but it is possible.
Sam’s Angry Enthusiasm [00:07:00]
Shaan: Sam, are you an enthusiastic guy?
Sam: I think I am. I think that’s why people like this podcast — we have a very loyal audience, and I think it’s because people feel like Shaan and I have a contagious energy. It’s positive… although some of my co-workers will say I’m kind of grumpy, because I have to be the bad guy a lot of the time.
Shaan: I think you have like an “angry enthusiasm.” Your switch flips from extreme enthusiasm — which is super infectious — to quickly very angry or grumpy, and then back effortlessly. But for the people around you, they’re probably getting rocked by it.
Sam: Yeah. I’ll fight with my executives at my company and then we can just hug it out and we’re good. But I definitely have that.