Improve your emotional intelligence with The School of Life

Apr 3, 2017 | by Justine Vallée | Lifestyle, Spots

About the author

Half-tourist and half-journalist, I am a full-time hot chocolate drinker who never leaves her camera. Always on the lookout, from classical music to rap, to the arts or good spots to visit, I could also feed myself with history and culture of all kinds.

Do you sometimes feel like you can’t sleep because too many questions poison your mind? Then it’s time to resolve that. The School of Life helps you to improve your wellness by dealing with the daily issues you could meet. Founded in 2008 by British philosopher Alain de Botton, it was established at Herengracht 215 three years ago. Now, it’s moving to a better location to make the audience more comfortable.

Asking good questions

How to find a job that suits me? What is a good friend? How to conduct a real conversation? These are questions you might ask yourself, but school didn’t teach you about that. The School of Life won’t give you the answer either, but it gives you the keys to solving your problems. Interactive lectures are given by good teachers, in which you can participate or give your opinion as classes are a combination of knowledge, reflection, and conversation. The School of Life’s mission is to present these ideas in a fresh and contemporary way to a curious audience: “Everything has been thought of before, but the difficulty is to think of it again.”

Several classes are proposed, with an average of 30 persons, to introduce you to fresh ideas of great thinkers from past and present, which can be of help in your everyday questions about the direction of your life. You don’t need a better answer but to ask better questions. The School of Life cares about the most important topics: work, friendship, love, money, family and more, with an insight of 2500 years of culture and science to help you to live a wiser life. They also have a YouTube channel in which you can follow little lectures.

Success in the Netherlands

The School of Life is growing well in the Netherlands, so much that it has been rebuilt with the aim to make people feel at home, and delve into literature and the self. It has become the place to be, where you can stop for a moment at one of the busiest intersections in the country. The new location offers space for additional classes and series and is also a place where people may gather for coffee and take a look at a whole new store. It opened today on Frederiksplein, directly opposite the Dutch Bank. Their official opening is on April 21, however!

Alain de Botton expressed his pride regarding this success: “The School of Life in Amsterdam has proven itself to be one of the most successful and innovative of all European venues. It is proof that when it comes to a commitment to being mature and wise around emotions, the Dutch are world leaders.” Great for you, Dutch people! Maybe this is what makes you the sixth happiest country in the world.