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Life in Three Dimensions summary

Name: Life in Three Dimensions
Rating: 4.6 (65 reviews)
Author: Shigehiro Oishi

Shigehiro Oishi

How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life

4.6 (65 ratings)

21 mins

Brief summary

Life in Three Dimensions by Shigehiro Oishi examines how personal connections, purpose, and belonging shape our well-being. It emphasizes the integration of these dimensions into everyday life for enhanced fulfillment and mental health.

Topics

Happy Meaningful Living Self-Help

Table of Contents

Life in Three Dimensions
Summary of 9 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? The secret to a good life.

What are the elements that make up a good life?

For a long time, happiness psychologists thought that finding the balance between two key components – happiness and meaning – was the secret. Feel good, find purpose, and you’re set.

But now, some of the world’s leading experts say there’s actually a third, often overlooked element: psychological richness. These are the experiences that move life beyond comfort or purpose. It’s the color and texture that come from curiosity, exploration, and the kind of experiences that surprise you – or even shake you up a little.

So, if you’ve ever felt caught between chasing happiness or searching for meaning, psychological richness provides a new lens – a third dimension – for understanding what truly makes a life well-lived.

This Blink is an invitation to rethink what it means to live fully – and who knows, maybe even trade a little certainty for something far more interesting.

Two methods for living

I’m going to tell you about a father and a son.

The father was born in a small mountain town on the Japanese island of Kyushu, a place known for its green tea and clementines. Like his fathers before him, the father built his whole life there — cultivating tea, marrying at twenty-seven, and raising three children. Decades later, not much has changed. He still lives in that same town, is still married to the same woman, and is deeply rooted in the land, his work, and his ancestors’ way of life.

The son, like his father, was born in that same small mountain town. But instead of staying, he left eighteen days after his eighteenth birthday to attend college in Tokyo. A study abroad year sent the son to Maine, in the US, where he fell in love with a Korean girl, another exchange student. The pair lived and worked in New York, Minneapolis, and Charlottesville, before settling in Chicago. They have two children, each born in a different city. Today, he’s a professor at a prestigious university, and his life is full of unexpected turns and new experiences.

Now let me ask you: which of these two men is happier?

I’m not going to tell you the answer just yet. We’ll come back to it later, after we’ve learned more about what makes a life truly well-lived.

Is there a formula for happiness?

What is the formula for a happy life?

Spoiler: this Blink does not contain the answer to that question. And that’s not because we're being withholding, but because a precise formula for happiness simply doesn't exist. However, psychologists, cognitive scientists, and other happiness researchers have quantified and measured elements that constitute a good, rewarding, and happy life.

The happiness trap

What do Aristotle, philosopher William James, and 69% of respondents in a recent large-scale global study all have in common? They all agree that happiness is the most important goal in life.

This seems intuitive. Research consistently shows that happy people are healthier, more prosocial, longer-lived, and more productive than their unhappy counterparts. Why would you not want to be happy? But the thing is, blindly pursuing happiness often probably won’t make you happy.

The meaning trap

Not everyone is a cheerleader for happiness. 19th century French novelist Gustave Flaubert cynically claimed the three requirements for happiness were "to be stupid, selfish, and have good health”. For critics like him, happiness is simplistic. Meaning – not happiness – is what truly elevates a life.

Steve Jobs reinforced this perspective in his famous Stanford commencement address: "The only way to be truly satisfied is to do great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." A meaningful life, by this definition, makes a difference beyond your immediate circle, possesses clear purpose, and organizes experiences around core values and principles.

Happiness or meaning?

Do you remember the father and son we told you about earlier? While both have experienced happiness and meaning, when we examine their trajectories, we can say that the father, who prioritized family, stability and tradition, has lived a life guided more by meaning. The son, on the other hand, who pursued travel, love, and professional success, has lived a life oriented more towards personal happiness.

Seeing that you’ve learned about how happiness and meaning can manifest in our lives, let me ask you that question again: who is happier? The father, who has led a life rich in meaning? Or the son, who has made the most of his opportunities for happiness?

The third dimension: psychological richness

So, what is this secret happiness ingredient that we’re calling psychological richness?

Psychologically rich lives are characterized by interesting, perspective-changing experiences. Experiences that challenge and extend us, like travelling or studying abroad, mastering a difficult skill, going through a big life change like becoming a parent or recovering from a serious illness.

Experience psychological richness every day

Quitting your job and becoming a lighthouse-keeper. Moving to Japan without speaking a word of Japanese. Telling your hairdresser to do “anything they want”. All potentially extremely psychologically rich experiences.

But if none of those appeal, don’t worry. You can embrace psychological richness without making dramatic life changes or embarking on wild adventures. Even small adjustments to your everyday routines can create space for psychological richness in your day-to-day. Here are three adjustments that even the least extroverted and adventurous among us can embrace.

The psychological richness of adversity

While we often pursue psychological richness intentionally – studying abroad, learning new skills, reading Proust – some of our most perspective-shifting experiences arrive uninvited. So, can adversity, despite its challenges, create psychological richness?

Ask Takashi Fujimoto. He’s a New Yorker whose basement apartment flooded during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Fujimoto was working with power cords when water rushed in. He was electrocuted and hospitalized for 37 days with a stroke and burns. He left the hospital only to find all his possessions destroyed. Yet, this devastating experience transformed him positively. "It changed my perspective for life," he told the New York Times, describing how the local community rallied to help him, reaffirming his faith in others and deepening his connection to his neighbourhood.

Life in three dimensions

Let’s return one final time to the story of the father and son. A quick refresher: the father has led a simple, stable life rooted in tradition and meaning. The son’s life has been spent in pursuit of new experiences, professional accomplishments, and personal fulfillment.

So, for the last time: which one is happier?

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What is Life in Three Dimensions about?

Life in Three Dimensions (2025) expands the field of happiness research by introducing the concept of ‘psychological richness’ as a key element of a fulfilling life. The book explores the foundations of psychological richness – curiosity, variety, and exploration – and offers practical strategies for weaving these experiences into everyday life.

Who should read Life in Three Dimensions?

Young people looking for a framework to build a fulfilling life
Life transitioners, from expectant parents to career changers
Retirees committed to staying curious and seeking new experiences

About the Author

Shigehiro Oishi is the Marshall Field IV Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, renowned for his research on happiness, meaning, and culture. His work delves into how cultural and ecological factors influence well-being, offering insights into the complexities of human satisfaction. He is also the author of The Psychological Wealth of Nations: Do Happy People Make a Happy Society?, examining the relationship between individual happiness and societal well-being.

Categories with Life in Three Dimensions

Mindfulness & Happiness Psychology Personal Development

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