Dirk De Wachter

At a glance

• Dirk De Wachter is a Belgian psychiatrist and professor at KU Leuven. He long worked as a psychiatrist and family therapist at the University Psychiatric Centre KU Leuven in Kortenberg.
• He became widely known with Borderline Times (2012), arguing that our society itself shows traits of a borderline personality: hurried, stimulus-driven and focused on instant gratification.
• Later books include De kunst van het ongelukkig zijn (2019, ‘The art of being unhappy’), on accepting setbacks, and books on love, connection and meaning.
• His message is that happiness cannot be engineered and that meaning arises mainly from relationships, caring for one another and sharing sorrow.
• He is a sought-after speaker and a familiar face on Flemish television and radio.
• For longevity, he matters because social connection and a sense of purpose are linked in many studies to a longer, healthier life.
• Takeaway: make time for real conversations and invest in the people around you, even when things are not going well.