#25 Matthew Lee: Love, Spirituality, and Flourishing

What does it mean to be well? In this conversation with Dr. Matthew Lee, Director of Empirical Research at Harvard's Human Flourishing Program, we run the gamut of subject matter—love, spirituality, inner peace, business—in search of the answer. A sociologist and former criminologist, Lee's research explores the pathways to human flourishing, benevolent service to others, and the integration of social science and the humanities.

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“We want people to engage with all the domains of flourishing as they reflect on the important decisions of their lives. That includes in the workplace... Is my work contributing to a world in which flourishing is more attainable for more people and in ways that don’t harm the larger environment? If the answer is yes, that’s love. Why not call it that?”

— Matt Lee

Dr. Matthew Lee is Director of Empirical Research at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Health, Flourishing, and Positive Psychology at Stony Brook University’s Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics. He previously served as Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity and as President of the North Central Sociological Association. His research explores pathways to human flourishing, benevolent service to others, and the integration of social science and the humanities. His co-edited book on the interdisciplinary measurement of well-being was just published for Oxford University Press (link below).