The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want

The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want | Sonja Lyubomirsky | Systematic, research-based advice

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The How of Happine...

	The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want Sonja Lyubomirsky Penguin Press HC, The, 2007 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 30 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

You can change your personal capacity for happiness. Research psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky's pioneering concept of the 40% solution shows you how Drawing on her own groundbreaking research with thousands of men and women, research psychologist and University of California professor of psychology Sonja Lyubomirsky has pioneered a detailed yet easy-to-follow plan to increase happiness in our day-to-day lives-in the short term and over the long term. The How of Happiness is a different kind of happiness book, one that offers a comprehensive guide to understanding what happiness is, and isn't, and what can be done to bring us all closer to the happy life we envision for ourselves. Using more than a dozen uniquely formulated happiness-increasing strategies, The How of Happiness offers a new and potentially life- changing way to understand our innate potential for joy and happiness as well as our ability to sustain it in our lives. Beginning with a short diagnostic quiz that helps readers to first quantify and then to understand what she describes as their "happiness set point," Lyubomirsky reveals that this set point determines just 50 percent of happiness while a mere 10 percent can be attributed to differences in life circumstances or situations. This leaves a startling, and startlingly underdeveloped, 40 percent of our capacity for happiness within our power to change. Lyubomirsky's "happiness strategies" introduce readers to the concept of intentional activities, mindful actions that they can use to achieve a happier life. These include exercises in practicing optimism when imagining the future, instruction in how best to savor life's pleasures in the here and now, and a thoroughgoing explanation of the importance of staying active to being happy. Helping readers find the right fit between the goals they set and the activities she suggests, Lyubomirsky also helps readers understand the many obstacles to happiness as well as how to harness individual strengths to overcome them. Always emphasizing how much of our happiness is within our control, Lyubomirsky addresses the "scientific how" of her happiness research, demystifying the many myths that unnecessarily complicate its pursuit. Unlike those of many self-help books, all her recommendations are supported by scientific research. The How of Happiness is both a powerful contribution to the field of positive psychology and a gift to all those who have questioned their own well- being and sought to take their happiness into their own hands.

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The How of Happiness

I manage a mentoring programme children and young people aged between 4 and a 12 and have a very keen interest in research that defines well being and how to promote it.
I have bought a copy for each of the programme coordinators and expect that we will use it as a text.
A bonus with this book I expect it will enrich my life and that of the adult volunteers as well.

Systematic, research-based advice

I found this book very helpful. The advice is based on solid research and is quick and to the point, without repetition or too much "filler" material. The self-test is OK, though I think the directions could be better spelled out. Overall, a great book on how to become happier.

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Excellent Book

This book is well researched and written in an understandable useful style. It is something I want to keep for future reference.

A fantastic book about happiness!

Reading "The How of Happiness" became really an event in my life. It is written in a remarkably clear, clever and human the way. I read a lot of self-help books related to achieving a meaningful and happy life, but this one is an absolute champion. It is due to the scientific evidence behind it, witty and human writing style of the author and really practical advice and tricks on changing your habits to become happier. And achieving happiness seems so realistic after reading the book! I underlined nearly every second sentence in it, so now I can reread it comfortably to remind myself of the content. It is really worth having read and owning this book.

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Don't Worry, You Can Be Happier

I had my misgivings when I picked up this book becuase I've read before that happiness is one of those things that becomes elusive when you try to pursue it intentionally, kind of like humor becomes unfunny when you try to analyze it. Anyway, I think I'm wrong. The author presents a number of techniques that have been verified via psychology experiments to increase your happiness levels. Some of these we've heard of before, like "count your blessings", and others may be unfamiliar. In some ways, this book is a compilation of prior psychological, self-help and religious wisdom, but backed up by scientific studies. I do believe that applying the techniques should help the reader improve their happiness levels and I'm looking forward to applying them myself.

I do have some concerns, however: first, sometimes the author gives personal anecdotal evidence of how the techniques she recommends helped her in her own life. That's all well and good, but a detached, scientific advocate should not engage in this. In an odd way, this detracts from the evidence: why bolster good scientific data with your own personal stories? Second, in a few instances the author includes studies that have a very small sample or have not been run long enough. Again, why include this? Nevertheless, from my layperson's point of view, there appear to be enough solid studies to back up the claims. I highly recommend the book for anyone who is seeking to increase their everyday happiness levels.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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