The School of Life

POP CULTURE: Finer Celebrities

It’s easy to criticise modern societies for being ‘celebrity obsessed’. But the problem isn’t an interest in celebrity, it’s the sort of celebrities paraded before us. We

Envy of What's Ahead

Some of our feelings about how the world might be in a 100 years time and more are based on an unexpected feeling: envy. It’s almost humiliating to contemplate how many o

Are You A Sleazebag?

There’s an appalling possibility that we are – or might be becoming – sleazy. The film offers a checklist of whether this might really be a danger. Enjoying our Youtube

PHILOSOPHY - Schopenhauer

Arthur Schopenhauer was deeply influenced by Buddhist thought and is in many ways the West’s answer to it: he too tells us to reign in our desires and adopt a consolingly

Why Inner Reflection Matters

Most of our mistakes come down to one crucial error: our failure to understand ourselves well enough. That’s why we need to learn the art of introspection. Enjoying our

Why Do We Often Shelter Our Parents From the Truth of Their Consequences?

Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Get weekly insights for better relationships, deeper self-knowledge, and inner c

How to Get Angry Frequently

It’s remarkably easy to spend most of one’s life in a blind rage. So much of existence is, after all, infuriating. But there are other options to be painfully and slowly

POP CULTURE: What Is Cinema Meant To Do?

We all love films, but often don’t think hard enough about the role of cinema in our lives and in society more generally. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access t

Why We Love to Suffer

Masochism is the belief that one is secretly deserving of punishment. Whilst sexual masochism can be fun, emotional masochism - which is much more common - often stems fr

The Three Requirements of a Good Relationship

It can be hard to know what we really need from a relationship. But the task becomes much simpler if we keep in mind that every relationship requires just three crucial i

Jamie Oliver Cooks a Meal for Alain De Botton

Jamie Oliver is a big inspiration for us at The School of Life, as he is a hugely talented teacher, opening an often complicated subject (food preparation) to a mass audi

LITERATURE - Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s novels are so readable in part because she wasn’t an ordinary kind of novelist: she wanted her work to help us to be better and wiser people. Her novels had

How to Make a Country Wealthy

If you were setting out to make a country rich, what kind of mindsets and ideas would be most likely to achieve your goals? We invent a country, Richland, and try to imag

The Secret Power of Gratitude

Life constantly requires that we say thank you to people - for presents, favours and helpful actions. But expressing thanks is a far from straightforward business. To be

Why Good Societies Are Pessimistic

We may associate pessimism with bad things, but at a political level, the world’s best societies are all experts at pessimism. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full acc

When We Fall Mentally Ill...

Mental crises can seem to come out of the blue, but their roots probably reach back years, even decades. Recovery begins only when we begin to listen to what our pain is

How to Seek Help When You're Overwhelmed

Feeling at rock bottom? Don't despair. This film explores how to ask for help at times of crisis and loneliness. Learn to overcome shame and find support in times of cris

The Impact of Dishonesty to Transform Your Love Life

Relationships suffer from a fundamental tension between the desire to be honest and the fear of being abandoned. We go into relationships in order to be ‘ourselves’ but w

How To Break Your Negative Patterns - Alain de Botton on Chris Williamson

Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ This is an original podcast from @ChrisWillx uploaded with their permission to T

How to recognise your patterns - and break free from them

We believe ourselves to be original at every turn while in fact we’re more commonly found rehearsing almost identical patterns in our choices and behaviors. Enjoying our