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Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment (Hardcover)
by Tal Ben-Shahar
| Category:
Happiness, Positive psychology, Personal growth, Self-help |
| Market price: ¥ 238.00
MSL price:
¥ 208.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Shahar's recent text is an incredible addition to the positive psychology movement. |
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Author: Tal Ben-Shahar
Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition
Pub. in: May, 2007
ISBN: 0071492399
Pages: 224
Measurements: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA01427
Other information: 978-0071492393
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- MSL Picks -
"Happier", the new book by Tal Ben-Shahar, is a short but intriguing work on the state of happiness. While dismissing self-help books in general, the author does take time and thought to offer the reader exercises in happiness improvement. I don't know if any of these work but some of them look they would be worth a try.
In reading "Happier", one can imagine that he or she is sitting in on one of Ben-Shahar's very popular classes at Harvard. It certainly has a textbook and laboratory "feel" to it. The author makes some good points about the relationship of happiness to money. He mirrors what is said in a recent wonderful book by Robert Franks called, "Richistan" where both authors make the point that money not only doesn't buy happiness, it often impedes it. (Frank also mentions that the very rich always seem to think they need twice as much money as they have in order to make themselves more comfortable...but not necessarily happier)
While "Happier" is a good, quick read, a couple of things just don't cut it... creating a "happiness board" and awaiting a "happiness revolution"?? Hmm, that's a bit of a stretch. Sounds as if the author has been watching too many Disney movies from the past. Tal Ben-Shahar, on the other hand, has offered an approach to making people's lives happier and I credit him with presenting a broad scope into this area of human life and development. We all could be happier, I'm sure.
(From quoting Jon Hunt, USA)
Target readers:
General readers.
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Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., is one of Harvard University’s most popular lecturers. He has been profiled on NPR and featured on CNN, CBS, and in the New York Times and the Boston Globe. His classes attract 1,400 students per semester - approximately 20 percent of all Harvard graduates. Ben-Shahar graduated from Harvard with a degree in philosophy and psychology. For the last ten years, he has been teaching personal and organizational excellence, leadership, ethics, and self-esteem. For more information, visit www.talbenshahar.com
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From Publisher
YES... according to the teacher of Harvard University’s most popular and life-changing course. One out of every five Harvard students has lined up to hear Tal Ben-Shahar’s insightful and inspiring lectures on that ever-elusive state: HAPPINESS.
HOW?
Grounded in the revolutionary “positive psychology” movement, Ben-Shahar ingeniously combines scientific studies, scholarly research, self-help advice, and spiritual enlightenment. He weaves them together into a set of principles that you can apply to your daily life. Once you open your heart and mind to Happier ’s thoughts, you will feel more fulfilled, more connected... and, yes, HAPPIER.
Dr. Ben-Shahar, one of the most popular teachers in Harvard’s recent history, has written a personal, informed, and highly enjoyable primer on how to become happier. It would be wise to take his advice.
This fine book shimmers with a rare brand of good sense that is imbedded in scientific knowledge about how to increase happiness. It is easy to see how this is the backbone of the most popular course at Harvard today."
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From Back Cover, USA
<2008-07-14 00:00>
Can You Learn to Be Happy?
YES . . . according to the teacher of Harvard University’s most popular and life-changing course. One out of every five Harvard students has lined up to hear Tal Ben-Shahar’s insightful and inspiring lectures on that ever-elusive state: HAPPINESS.
HOW?
Grounded in the revolutionary “positive psychology” movement, Ben-Shahar ingeniously combines scientific studies, scholarly research, self-help advice, and spiritual enlightenment. He weaves them together into a set of principles that you can apply to your daily life. Once you open your heart and mind to Happier ’s thoughts, you will feel more fulfilled, more connected . . . and, yes, HAPPIER.
“Dr. Ben-Shahar, one of the most popular teachers in Harvard’s recent history, has written a personal, informed, and highly enjoyable primer on how to become happier. It would be wise to take his advice.”
--Ellen J. Langer, author of Mindfulness and On Becoming an Artist
“This fine book shimmers with a rare brand of good sense that is imbedded in scientific knowledge about how to increase happiness. It is easy to see how this is the backbone of the most popular course at Harvard today."
--Martin E. P. Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness
If you're a “rat racer,” who lives in the hope of being happy in the future, and yet is unable to enjoy the here-and-now . . .
If you're a “hedonist,” who finds some pleasure in the good things in life--good wine, good food, good company--and yet is unable to enjoy lasting fulfillment . . .
If you're a “nihilist,” who’s completely given up on finding happiness . . .you can learn to be happier!
Thousands of Harvard University students have discovered that you can become happier. They learned the secret to lasting fulfillment from acclaimed teacher Tal Ben-Shahar’s class on positive psychology--a branch of psychology that combines the latest scientific research with good old common sense. Now you can join his class and learn how positive psychology can make you happier right now--no lottery windfall, job promotion, or new love required.
Think of Happier as your own personal workbook. As you read each chapter’s illuminating discussion on happiness and incorporate its simple exercises into your daily routine, you will see every aspect of your life with new eyes and a new sense of purpose.
When you learn how to live for today and for tomorrow at the same time, you learn how to balance your immediate personal needs with long-term goals and enjoy life as you never have before.
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From Publishers Weekly, USA
<2008-07-14 00:00>
Though everyone wants to be happier, how many of us can actually define what that means? In his class, "Positive Psychology," one of the most popular courses at Harvard University, Ben-Shahar teaches that happiness isn't as elusive a concept as people think, and can actually be learned; he commits the fundamentals of his course to paper in this primer on getting happy, which he defines as a combination of pleasure (short-term happiness) and meaning (long-term). Divided into three parts, "What is Happiness?", "Happiness Applied" and "Meditations on Happiness," Ben-Shahar provides insight and exercises, prodding reflection in readers ("Do you accept negative emotions as natural?" "Do you see your work as a job, a career, or a calling?") while explicating the relationships among happiness, motivation and goals. Though it sounds simple, Ben-Shahar insists on keen self-awareness and purposeful action to overcome entrenched patterns of despondency and/or disbelief. For answer-seekers, this is definitely a good start |
By A guest reviewer, USA
<2008-07-14 00:00>
Tal Ben-Shahar has made positive psychology interesting and practical. I found the exercises (instead of time-outs, he calls each of them a "time in") to be simple, easy to implement and thought-provoking. His writing style is interesting, as well, and he relates this content to work, relationships, and other important areas of our lives. While the book's footnotes are full of great research papers, articles, and books, I did have trouble (just several times) understanding which statements were based on research and which were his professional opinion. But, that might be the price you pay for writing a book for the masses. Either way this is a great book which I plan to re-read many times. |
By A guest reviewer, USA
<2008-07-14 00:00>
I think self-help books are the hardest genre to write. People's reasons for looking for help and inspiration are so varied, and their problems so diverse, that what fits perfectly for one person is totally inappropriate for the next. What is perfect advice for a thirty year old single mother suffering from terminal brain cancer wouldn't work for a teenager trying to decide what college to apply to, and vice versa.
This work does an excellent job of putting people's issues in the context of the empirical research regarding what makes us happy. Rarely, in a book of this nature, do I find myself inspired to do the exercises. I have never felt moved to change my daily life habits based upon something I have read. Yet, as the result of reading "Happier", I have done both.
For anyone who is looking for a little guidance on how to improve your happiness, which is probably all of us, I would strongly recommend this book. The only caveat is that I would suggest slowly reading every page and actually doing the exercises, in writing. This is not the type of work that one can just breeze through and get the full benefit of it. But I think the extra effort will pay off. |
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