SLO MO REWIND: Alain de Botton on How to Keep Your Partner Happy

Continuing our love and relationships series, we revisit my chat with the incredible Alain de Botton. 

One of the most listened episodes on Slo Mo, I and the British-Swiss philosopher, Alain de Botton, dive deep into one of my favorite topics: Love.

Alain de Botton is a philosopher and writer of essayistic books that have been described as a "philosophy of everyday life." He’s written on love, travel, architecture and literature. His books have been bestsellers in 30 countries and have sold millions of copies. Alain also started and helps to run a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. His latest book, published in September 2019, is a collection of essays written for The School of Life, titled The School of Life: An Emotional Education.

I love talking about love, just as much as I&aposm happy to discuss happiness. Alain&aposs body and scope of work is so vast, I decided to focus this conversation entirely on love, sex, and relationships. I&aposm so glad I did.

We will revisit:

What is love? Alain&aposs definition of love: &aposwhen two people meet in their raw condition.&aposHow the opposite extreme of love is Loneliness, not Hatred.How Life is a desperate emergency, and if we can just admit that, things open up.Why Christianity gives a privileged role to those who sufferOne of the most honest takes on sex you&aposll ever hearHow we&aposre always trying to get our life as close as possible to our true realityIf we&aposre all imperfect, doesn&apost that make imperfection perfect?How we&aposve replaced happiness with "fun" just as we&aposve replaced love with "romance"The contradictions in love and how they&aposre only glaring because they violate a script or story we expect from our relationshipHow we shouldn&apost be held accountable for what we feel, but rather the actions we take based on those feelings.Reinterpreting the typical disaster scenario in a relationship when one partner cheats on another.Humanity&aposs transition from demonizing sex to trying to understand itThe differences (or lack thereof) between male and female in love and sexSexual fetishes and their unique place in couple connectionsUndertakers and nurses as beacons of acceptanceThe game of life is trying to find connectionsThe ironic outcome of jealousy&aposs intentionsHow to keep your partner faithfulAlain&aposs love advice to my daughterCoping with the feeling of being rushed into marriage as a womanWhat "God is love" really meansSeeing your partner as an Adorable Idiot rather than just a regular idiot

Connect with Alain de Botton on Twitter @alaindebotton and alaindebotton.com

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