Most of us are drawn to activities that might seem unpleasant on the surface. But why? That’s the question explored in renowned psychologist Paul Bloom’s latest book, The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning. 

In it, Bloom interrogates one of the most puzzling paradoxes of human nature. People willingly seek experiences that require effort, struggle, and varying degrees of physical or psychological pain every day. How does this make sense?

The simple answer appears to be that we derive pleasure from certain types of pain. But not so fast, says Bloom. It’s more complicated than that. Let’s hear what the author says about our motivations for courting unpleasantness and what it means for how we choose to live. 


Table of Contents:

  • Introduction
  • The Power of Contrast
  • The Joy of Escape
  • Pleasures of the Imagination
  • The One and the Many
  • Suffering is Central to Meaning
  • The Upside of Suffering
  • Playing With Time
  • Against Hedonism
  • Conclusion

Overview

    1. Welcome

    2. Launch the Class

Contents of this class

  • $35.00
  • 11 Lessons
  • 10 Videos with Paul Bloom
  • Interactive Exercises