Emily Esfahani Smith Melds Wisdom, Psychology on Journey Toward Meaning

Emily Esfahani Smith, who wrote the bestseller “The Power of Meaning,” brings together traditional wisdom from the past and findings from the social sciences.

Esfahani Smith delivered a TED talk, “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy," that has been viewed more than 9 million times. Bret Hartman /TED

Emily Esfahani Smith had never felt the need to embark on a great quest for happiness, but when she began college, she soon saw that it was this very quest that was making so many people on campus unhappy.

“I'd just never been as oriented toward happiness as I was toward meaning,” said Esfahani Smith, who wrote the bestseller “The Power of Meaning.”