| View Larger Image | The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want | Hardcoverby Sonja Lyubomirsky (Author)
| List Price: | $25.95 | |
| | Binding: | Hardcover | | Publisher: | Penguin Press HC, The | | Page Count: | 384 Pages | | Publication Date: | December 27, 2007 | | Sales Rank: | 615,707th |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
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. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 72 reviews)
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Well written by Benjamin Franklin (Leeds, UK)  5 Stars
November 17, 2009
I found this to be a very well written and thorough book.
If you're looking for a lightweight self-help book this is probably not for you. That said, it is not an academic work either. It has found a perfect ground somewhere in between the two, and as such should appeal to any intelligent reader who is interested in the subject.
The book is split into two major parts. The first is a broader look at the topic and some of the key concepts. The second major part is about specific techniques that can be utilized.
Both parts are well structured and highly informative and it is highly unlikely that you will get to the end of the book and not had one or two light-bulb moments of inspiration.
Highly recommended.
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Great Book for professionals by L. Mazzarella 5 Stars
October 23, 2009
This book may be helpful for practioners and their patients who are not into affirmations or anything warm and fuzzy but respond to scientific fact.
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The Real Deal by Alan Gettis (River Edge, NJ USA) 5 Stars
October 17, 2009
Sonja Lyubomirsky is the real deal when it comes to writing the book on happiness. A respected leader and researcher in the fields of positive psychology and happiness, she delivers practical and proven methodologies to enhance your mood, peace of mind, and overall satisfaction with life. This book will certainly help you start living the life you have been hoping to live.
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The How of Happiness by D. pierson (Seattle)  4 Stars
October 06, 2009
A basic approach that actually works, this is a great little book on how to be a happier person. Not one of those silly books, this one has substance and good advice, and some great tools.
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This book made me happier by findingflow (Menlo Park, California) 5 Stars
September 28, 2009
I borrowed this book from the library. And when I was finished, I went out and bought it.
I've read many of the popular books on happiness. Most are relatively "fuzzy," and emphasize just one or two routes to happiness. This is the first book I've seen that clearly lays out ALL of the commonly recommended options, and then in an unbiased manner describes the benefits and research associated with each.
The author offers a methodology to decide which methods may be most appropriate for you, and which methods you might choose next. So for instance, if Forgiveness is a strategy that works for you, read about it here, and then maybe explore it in more depth by reading _Forgive for Good_. But if something totally different, say Meditation, is your cup of tea, you'll know to skip the forgiveness reading (without getting guilty and frustrated about it), and maybe check out something on mindfulness meditation.
The writing is clear - Lyubomirsky makes her points without words getting in the way.
To give you a flavor of the book, I'll close with one of my favorite passages:
My four-year-old used to insist that we teach him a new word at bedtime. One night I tried something new. "Your word is 'love,'" I said. "I knooow what looove means! I love you, Mommy." "But what does it mean that you love me?" He thought about this. "It means I want to kiss you a lot. And I want to live with you forever." In ten years he might regret having said that, but I think that definition of love is perfect. ... most identify [love] as one of the chief things that makes them happy."
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