The pursuit of happiness has been a primary aim of humans for millennia, and now brain research can help us target this goal. Aristotle defined two fundamentally distinct forms of happiness, “Hedonia” and “Eudaimonia.” We already have mapped brain circuits for Hedonia, revealing mechanisms that bring us fleeting happiness following gratification of our immediate needs. Now we are exploring the higher-level circuits that lead to Eudaimonia, the sustained happiness that comes from living a life rich in meaning and purpose. Brain research suggests that the keys to eudaimonic well-being involve strong commitment of effort to actions aligned with long-term values Dr. Bilder received a bachelors degree from Columbia College of Columbia University in Biology and Psychology (1978), and a Ph.D. in Psychology from City College, City University of New York, where he specialized in human neuropsychology (1984). He did his Internship in the Division of Neuropsychology, New York State Neurological Institute, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center (1982). Before joining UCLA in 2002, Dr. Bilder held a series of faculty appointments at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx