Life in Three Dimensions

A deeply personal yet scientifically rigorous and objective exploration of a new way of living ‘the good life’ from ‘one of psychology’s brightest stars’.

‘New insights into the many ways to live well’ Jonathan Haidt

‘Shigehiro Oishi has discovered a neglected third dimension of the good life … lively and insightful’ Adam Grant

A groundbreaking new understanding of happiness to help us build a fuller, more authentic life.

We all want a good life. But do the simple, predictable pleasures we call happiness lead to complacency and regret? Does a life of purpose invite narrow or misplaced loyalties?

Now, one of our foremost psychologists Shigehiro Oishi proposes a new way to live. Psychological richness is a concept that prioritizes curiosity, exploration and a variety of experiences. These can be as simple as taking a walk, or as complex as moving to a new country, causing a shift in perspective that helps us grow.

Weaving his own story with those of people like Steve Jobs, Oliver Sacks and Alison Gopnik, and original research from fields ranging from moral philosophy, literature, culture, neuroscience, personality and psychology, Oishi shows how to deepen and better our existence through psychological richness.

‘A delightful guide to the importance of filling your days with more curiosity, exploration and richness’ Laurie Santos

Author Biography

One of the foremost authorities on happiness, meaning and culture, Shige Oishi is the Marshall Field IV professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.

Oishi has published over 200 journal articles and book chapters across his career and has been one of the most cited personality and social psychologists. In 2021, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Advancing Cultural Psychology. The Psychological Review paper on a psychologically rich life he co-authored with Erin Westgate received the 2022 Wegner Theoretical Innovation Prize.

Oishi’s research has been featured in major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times.