Customer Reviews

Better Than Chocolate: 50 Proven Ways to Feel Happier

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I found "Better than Chocolate" an exceptionally inspiring book. It's so easy to read and 'digest'. The illustrations are really beautiful too.

The author, Siimon Reynolds, has obviously done a lot of research (and lists a pretty extensive recommended reading) to succinctly write the 50 or so tips.

By following even just a couple of the tips, to start with anyway, I genuinely found myself feeling happier. I particularly liked the "4 Magic Personality Traits" and "Focus on Happiness" tips best. If only I had had this book earlier! "Better than Chocolate" is filled with great ideas to help you feel happier.

This is a book you read and re-read.

I highly recommend it and it makes a fabulous gift too.

In these hectic days, this book is a nice and thoughtful respite. And the illustrations! One word...Wow!!!

If you think that great activities, people, and things will show up in your life that make you happy, sometimes they do. But what if they don't? Are there purposeful things we can actively do to increase our happiness? Happiness research says yes.

This book distills 50 happiness principles from research into easy low-cost or no-cost activities, ways of thinking or being that we can do today to increase our happiness. If we have one life to live on this earth, we might as well do things which increase our happiness rather than decrease or neutralize it.

I've read many, many books on happiness and am thinking of getting an advanced degree in the topic (positive psychology) as it's fundamental to life. This book is one of my favorites on the topic of happiness. Why? For the person who doesn't have time to read all the books on happiness, this book gives you 50 things you can immediately do to increase your happiness. It also reminds those of us who have read extensively on the topic what actions we can be taking now. And it has an aesthetically pleasing format--art and humor raise our happiness quotient. So, the book itself wisely employs the principles it preaches. You'll probably feel happier just reading it.

Some of 50 proven ways to feel happier in this book I'm going to implement in 2012:

*Form an activity group--5-6 people you want to meet with once a month
*Meet NEW people--take adult ed classes as an easy way to meet new like-minded people
*Listen to upbeat music-put more background music on while doing chores
*Throw out 1/3 of books, clothes and stuff etc. you're not wearing and using
*Pet a pet--offer to pet sit or take neighbor's dog for a walk?

The book lists diverse ways to increase happiness. You can tailor them to your own life, depending on what stage of life you're in. Some of the activities you probably will be doing already, but there will certainly be ones you'll want to start doing or do more of. This is a light book on a deep topic that can change your life in a positive way. It has something to offer anybody who values happiness.

Some years ago I came across a book called "Become happy in 8 minutes" from Siimon Reynolds on my father's personal library. I read the book and loved it.
I currently have people under my responsability at work and during an informal chat I mentioned this book as one of my favorites for self-help in difficult situations.
I looked up the book in common bookstores just to find out they are not available anymore in my mother tongue and Country (Spanish).
Trying to find the availability through amazon I came accross this book which I decided to buy to find out what may be between the two books.
This book has a very easy going reading. Not much explanation on the why's? but has enough reference for further research if your one of the "I need to see to believe" person (Which I sometimes am). I trust he has done a good research on this book based on the reading I had from "Become happy in eight minutes".

It is beautifully ilustrated and provides plain and simple (but very effective) excersises to become a happier person.

I have recomended this book as a reading for some of my staff that thought that there was nothing better that Chocolate, ice cream or tequila to be happy. :)

Great gift book; cool concepts; the illustrations pull it all together seamlessly. Would like to see more about the illustrator.