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126 reviews for:
The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed with Happiness
Emily Esfahani Smith
3.92 AVERAGE
126 reviews for:
The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed with Happiness
Emily Esfahani Smith
3.92 AVERAGE
Thanks to Bookstr for the free ARC! It always awesome to get free books in the mail.
Nothing earth-shattering here, but good reminder of some ways to make your life more meaningful.
***
2017 Popsugar Challenge - Book with subtitle
Nothing earth-shattering here, but good reminder of some ways to make your life more meaningful.
***
2017 Popsugar Challenge - Book with subtitle
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Let me start by saying that I love these sociology type of self-help-ish books. They're cool. I love the idea of why meaning is so important and how to find it. The evidence and stories made the book very fun to listen to on audio.
"Rather than give up on the world, we can confront it directly and with passion, and create for ourselves a meaning out of the pain, loss, and struggles that we endure."
"We can choose to value people rather than devalue them. We can invite people to belong."
"We can choose to value people rather than devalue them. We can invite people to belong."
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
Meaning is a topic that is largely subjective, but Smith does a great job of portraying various paths to and forms of finding it. The book is full of excellent and fascinating stories of people who both actively sought and simply stumbled upon what gave them purpose, what made their life feel enriched. It's a subject that can make a book a little too dreamy, sickly sweet for some, but Smith does a good job of keeping the subject matter grounded. The examples are relevant and the research interesting. She also offers up multiple suggestions for how people can pursue meaning in their lives without sounding preachy or pushy. It's not a "you have to find meaning now, here's how!" so much as a map showing all the paths that meaning can take, and how it can help you feel more fulfilled in life. Overall a worthwhile read, and I personally am looking forward to trying out some of the more cognitive-based approaches.
Meaning is a topic that is largely subjective, but Smith does a great job of portraying various paths to and forms of finding it. The book is full of excellent and fascinating stories of people who both actively sought and simply stumbled upon what gave them purpose, what made their life feel enriched. It's a subject that can make a book a little too dreamy, sickly sweet for some, but Smith does a good job of keeping the subject matter grounded. The examples are relevant and the research interesting. She also offers up multiple suggestions for how people can pursue meaning in their lives without sounding preachy or pushy. It's not a "you have to find meaning now, here's how!" so much as a map showing all the paths that meaning can take, and how it can help you feel more fulfilled in life. Overall a worthwhile read, and I personally am looking forward to trying out some of the more cognitive-based approaches.
I didn't find anything that resonated we me or that was new in some way.
I think that this book could be an eye opener if you aren't a big reader of personal growth or self help books, but if you are, it kind of feels unnecessary.
I think that this book could be an eye opener if you aren't a big reader of personal growth or self help books, but if you are, it kind of feels unnecessary.
3.5-4 stars
For the longest time, it seems "happiness" has been the dominating subject of self-help/personal growth books (which I have read a few as I do find it interesting), but after a while, I was looking for something a bit more ... meaningful.
A few years ago, I read the first half of Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning (which I recommend; I could not bring myself to read the academic and clinical last half, but the first half is definitely worth trying) and maybe perused some articles that leaned toward the subject of meaning, but hadn't seen much of anything else similar until I saw this ARC being offered and was eager to read it. To my utter surprise, I actually won it (but the joy and gratitude of winning is not affecting my rating/review).
I did have some qualms, as there weren't any reviews at the time (hence ARC), because lately, I find that there are some nonfiction books that just seem to offer nothing new, many just regurgitating studies one reads often if you are even slightly into positive psychology or growth-type books. Thankfully, this didn't seem like that to me, and my interest didn't lag much.
If all the little post-it stickers sticking out of my book is any indication (sorry, no pic), Esfahani Smith does a good job of presenting interesting, thorough research that I actually wanted to read aloud to someone. She also weaves in some anecdotal stories that help illustrate each of the "four pillars of meaning" (Belonging, Storytelling, Purpose and Transcendence) but they left me wondering how she found them or was directed to these encounters in the first place (unless I missed it, it's not explained; not that it needs to be explained, but I enjoy glimpsing into authors' writing processes, how research is done, etc.).
Among the studies I found interesting was one mentioned in the chapter titled Growth, about how expressive writing is found to be "uniquely healing" for people who have suffered through traumatic events. It's too much for me to try to summarize here quickly, but here's a bit of a passage I flagged with a sticky-note:
"Pennebaker [the researcher of the study] argues that because writing ... allows people to systematically process an event, bringing order to it. Through writing, they discover new insights and come to understand how the crisis fits into the broader mosaic of their lives. Sense-making is thus an effective way to make meaning from trauma, and, ultimately, overcome it."
The same chapter describes another study I wanted to read aloud to anyone who'd listen, the abstract of which can be found here: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/331/6023/1447
Esfahani Smith writes about it infinitely better than I can ever hope to even summarize it, but I found it enlightening and had to at least make a mention about it.
My interest flagged a little near the end of the book in the chapter, Cultures of Meaning, but I honestly can't pinpoint why (maybe I just wasn't as into those particular stories?).
I think this is a book worth reading though if you are interested in personal-growth; it is a relatively quick read (I put it off because I had library books due, hence the huge month+ gap in my start to finish dates).
Received ARC from ReadingRoom (now Bookstr).
For the longest time, it seems "happiness" has been the dominating subject of self-help/personal growth books (which I have read a few as I do find it interesting), but after a while, I was looking for something a bit more ... meaningful.
A few years ago, I read the first half of Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning (which I recommend; I could not bring myself to read the academic and clinical last half, but the first half is definitely worth trying) and maybe perused some articles that leaned toward the subject of meaning, but hadn't seen much of anything else similar until I saw this ARC being offered and was eager to read it. To my utter surprise, I actually won it (but the joy and gratitude of winning is not affecting my rating/review).
I did have some qualms, as there weren't any reviews at the time (hence ARC), because lately, I find that there are some nonfiction books that just seem to offer nothing new, many just regurgitating studies one reads often if you are even slightly into positive psychology or growth-type books. Thankfully, this didn't seem like that to me, and my interest didn't lag much.
If all the little post-it stickers sticking out of my book is any indication (sorry, no pic), Esfahani Smith does a good job of presenting interesting, thorough research that I actually wanted to read aloud to someone. She also weaves in some anecdotal stories that help illustrate each of the "four pillars of meaning" (Belonging, Storytelling, Purpose and Transcendence) but they left me wondering how she found them or was directed to these encounters in the first place (unless I missed it, it's not explained; not that it needs to be explained, but I enjoy glimpsing into authors' writing processes, how research is done, etc.).
Among the studies I found interesting was one mentioned in the chapter titled Growth, about how expressive writing is found to be "uniquely healing" for people who have suffered through traumatic events. It's too much for me to try to summarize here quickly, but here's a bit of a passage I flagged with a sticky-note:
"Pennebaker [the researcher of the study] argues that because writing ... allows people to systematically process an event, bringing order to it. Through writing, they discover new insights and come to understand how the crisis fits into the broader mosaic of their lives. Sense-making is thus an effective way to make meaning from trauma, and, ultimately, overcome it."
The same chapter describes another study I wanted to read aloud to anyone who'd listen, the abstract of which can be found here: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/331/6023/1447
Esfahani Smith writes about it infinitely better than I can ever hope to even summarize it, but I found it enlightening and had to at least make a mention about it.
My interest flagged a little near the end of the book in the chapter, Cultures of Meaning, but I honestly can't pinpoint why (maybe I just wasn't as into those particular stories?).
I think this is a book worth reading though if you are interested in personal-growth; it is a relatively quick read (I put it off because I had library books due, hence the huge month+ gap in my start to finish dates).
Received ARC from ReadingRoom (now Bookstr).
I was given this by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
This book explores the things that make for a contented life; arguing that money and possessions don't always make us feel happy. The author, utilizing personal experience and academic sources, argues that, in order to live a contented life, a person needs to live a fulfilled life connected to a close knit community.
This book didn't blow me away. Much of the argument seemed obvious. But, it's a pleasant read and could be a great primer for those new to the subject.
This book explores the things that make for a contented life; arguing that money and possessions don't always make us feel happy. The author, utilizing personal experience and academic sources, argues that, in order to live a contented life, a person needs to live a fulfilled life connected to a close knit community.
This book didn't blow me away. Much of the argument seemed obvious. But, it's a pleasant read and could be a great primer for those new to the subject.
Truly fantastic book. Inspiring and well-researched - Smith offers both empirical evidence and deeply personal examples of methods and strategies to create meaning and joy in your life in the face of chaos and loss. Just reading this book made me feel happy. I look forward to putting her recommendations into action. Highly recommend!
People are often in search of happiness, but Emily Esfahani Smith argues that people would do well to search for meaning instead. Smith looks closely at the research that has been done on four areas of finding meaning: relationships to others, contributing to society, making sense of experiences, and connecting to something bigger than one's self. The book is, happily, both readable and based on research, and that doesn't often happen.