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jrwren's review against another edition
2.0
first couple chapters were great, then it got kinda less interesting to me. I blame myself. I just wasn't in the mood.
kimball_hansen's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. Almost 3. I was expecting more from this book. It didn't deliver like I thought it would. Plus his politics really got in the way. I liked his other books more.
There is no good or bad, only what you think it is. - crappy Shakespeare
Happiness is the most highly heritable aspects of personality.
Pleasures should be savored and varied. Like the French way of eating.
There is no good or bad, only what you think it is. - crappy Shakespeare
Happiness is the most highly heritable aspects of personality.
Pleasures should be savored and varied. Like the French way of eating.
jameskeates's review against another edition
3.0
Not a self-help book, but a review of the psychological studies of happiness (the subtitle says it all) and how they link to common themes from the past, Eastern (Buddhism and Hinduism) and Western (Stoic and Epicurean philosophy). An interesting read when approached from that point of view, although I would like to see an updated edition (it was written in 2006), perhaps touching on social media but more importantly looking at how the quoted results hold up as psychology undergoes a replication crisis that undermines some of its most famous results. Still, I think Haidt successfully makes the case for positive psychology: that science can help us to lead a fulfilling or happy life as well as treat diseases. The insight into the weird tricks psychologists must devise to create "blind" experiments is also fascinating.
(For a self-help book, albeit one Haidt might find inclines too strongly to the Stoic position, I can recommend Derren Brown's Happy.)
(For a self-help book, albeit one Haidt might find inclines too strongly to the Stoic position, I can recommend Derren Brown's Happy.)
mattleesharp's review against another edition
3.0
Just another popsci should've just been a long article books. Haidt seems like a charming person though. And there's always some value in training your brain to think about itself.
horfhorfhorf's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed feelings - this is not a rough read, but does require an awful lot of "going along" to agree with Haidt's insights.
jelltells's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
kristelace's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
To be fair, this book is well written and well researched! I just could NOT get into it. The author is…all over the place and comes from a completely different worldview than I do. I have great respect for him and the work he has done, I simply don’t agree with all of his conclusions.
papidoc's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those rare books that I first listened to as an audiobook, and then purchased in hard copy so that I could read it more carefully and take notes. The author, Jonathan Haidt (co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind), leans heavily toward a synthesis of research findings. He explores why too many people don't find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in life. In doing so, he brings together ancient philosophy, religious traditions (though he is a self-described atheist, he finds much that is good in religion), and modern scientific insights to develop what he describes as the "happiness hypothesis." He delves into attachment theory, neuroscience, positive psychology, and a wide variety of other sources to support his ideas.
It's a thoughtful, well-written, insightful piece of work, much better than the typical pop psychology books that usually purport to explore happiness. Worth reading.
It's a thoughtful, well-written, insightful piece of work, much better than the typical pop psychology books that usually purport to explore happiness. Worth reading.
maijanoyd's review against another edition
4.0
“Happiness requires changing yourself and changing your world”
When I started reading this book I was annoyed for the most part, it was the required reading for my class and I didn’t really think that I would like it, but I ended up really enjoying the way Haidt writes as well as the theories and evidence presented. The conclusion was really sweet and well-written and it really made me think about happiness differently.
When I started reading this book I was annoyed for the most part, it was the required reading for my class and I didn’t really think that I would like it, but I ended up really enjoying the way Haidt writes as well as the theories and evidence presented. The conclusion was really sweet and well-written and it really made me think about happiness differently.