The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
"The most brilliant and lucid analysis of virtue and well-being in the entire literature of positive psychology. For the reader who seeks to understand happiness, my advice is: Begin with Haidt." --Martin E.P. Seligman, University of Pennsylvania and author of Authentic Happiness The Happiness Hypothesis is a book about ten Great Ideas. Each chapter is an attempt to savor one idea that has been discovered by several of the world's civilizations--to question it in light of what we now know from scientific research, and to extract from it the lessons that still apply to our modern lives and illuminate the causes of human flourishing. Award-winning psychologist Jonathan Haidt shows how a deeper understanding of the world's philosophical wisdom and its enduring maxims--like "do unto others as you would have others do unto you," or "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"--can enrich and transform our lives.
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Community Reviews
This is the best book I've read so far on happiness, love, and mindfulness, morality, and life purpose specifically because unlike the other books that I've been reading on the topic it combines science and philosophy on all of these topics instead of taking them individually. The author is not afraid to tackle some controversial topics, necessary because of the discussion of how an innate disgust system relates to our sense of morality. The author is honest about his own "bias" as he is not religious, but he maintains a professional respect towards world religions and seeks to understand what they can contribute to an understanding of psychology, happiness, and even societal well-being.
An amalgamation of different ideas from philosophy, psychology and science about happiness . I listened to it on audiobook so it’s a bit of a blur but the rider on top of an elephant will stay with me. The idea that our rational mind is only a very small part of what’s at play here - so many of our reactions, behaviours and emotions are the elephant - rampaging uncontrolled.
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