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Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment [Hardcover]

Tal Ben-Shahar (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews) |
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Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2007

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

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Jeff Woodman’s reading has a narrative drive that captures the author’s affirming ideas.”
—AudioFile (Audiofile ) --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (May 10, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0071492399
  • ISBN-13: 978-0071492393
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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› Visit Amazon's Tal Ben-Shahar Page
Tal Ben-Shahar
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
56 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Years Later March 7, 2009
By R. Oda
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this book during the lowest point in my life. Now that I look back, about 1.5 years later, it was the catalyst that put me on the road to recovery. A few minutes ago I was sitting in my room looking at my bookshelf and caught sight of the yellow spine. I thought, "Damn. I HAVE to write a review."

The most significant observation in the book is that happiness is the ultimate currency. It's so basic, and so true. All this stuff that we do in life is for the purpose of gaining happiness. When I realized that status, possessions, relationships and accomplishments have no intrinsic value, I began to rethink my approach to life. The funny thing is, I do just about the same things today that I did back then. The difference is my experience of them. For me, it was matter of changing the way I motivated myself. For you it will probably be something else.

I don't know if this self-help book is better than any other, but it was very valuable to me. If you are in need, read it and do the exercises. The results will not be instant, but hopefully it will start or continue something good in your life.

Best of luck, everyone.
Was this review helpful to you?
114 of 122 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Life is a process, not an end. If you don't enjoy the process, you're going to hate the end.

I've read the ideas in this book many many times. Yet run through one more point of view is not a bad thing. Actually the author sums up the key to life well lived quite well in this thin book. Have meaningful goals, but enjoy the day to day process or realizing those goals. Appreciation is the key to life. The Psychic bank account. And then he applys them to school, to work, to love. And then he ends the book with meditations.

Give it a try. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

The only criticism, yet not enough to substract a star, is that there are quite a few repeated ideas from his previous work. However, if you have a good idea, no harm in repeating that idea.
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37 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
.....and there are better follow-ups after your introduction.

This does descend into mimicking the self-help genre pretty quickly.

I think my issue with this book is that the author underpins his reflections and conclusions too often with, with, well, not with much other than his opinion supported by Samuel Smiles type aphorisms.

This is a shame, because the field of Positive Psychology (capital letters employed deliberately) has so much going for it, not least a substantial serious wealth of empirical data to support it.

I understand that the author's lectures at Harvard are incredibly well-attended and indeed well-regarded. Not quite sure why, on this showing.

It's not a pure example of the self-help genre (thank goodness), but neither is it sufficiently scholarly or referenced to be much more.

In fact one of the books that Ben-Shahar should have included in his bibliography, but for some inexplicable reason didn't, would be a far better introduction: "The Happiness Hypothesis", by Jonathan Haidt (a definite 5 star read) is everything this book should have been, but was published a least a year earlier.

An alternative introduction, more practical but better-referenced than "Happier" is Ilona Boniwell's "Positive Psychology in a Nutshell", which I can also recommend whole-heartedly.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent Book
Excellent Book. Would recommend to anyone. This definitely gives you a different prospective on life. Easy reading. Excellent book as a gift as well.
Published 13 days ago by Steven N Heaston
Get your happier on!!!
Tal Ben-Shahar is brilliant. And so is this book. His Positive Psychology class at Harvard was the
most popular class on campus and, after reading his book, I can see... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Manoj Masuria - Compliance Professional and Leadership Trainer within the Financial Services
Helped me when life was good, and really helped me when I felt at my...
I selected this book off of a library shelf because of the bright and happy yellow spine. Was intrigued by the title and the words "Harvard". Read more
Published 8 months ago by Marichka
Transformative
This book is awesome. It's so simple but also manages to slap you in the face. I've bought a several copies because I keep giving it away to friends. Read more
Published 9 months ago by L.O.
Everyone should read this book
Great book - good advice that everyone could benefit from. Give it a chance, do the exercises. It may take a while to make significant changes in your life, but it'll be worth the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by S. Welder
Amazing read - will make you happier!
I read this book after seeing that the author had provided an endorsement for the wonderful 'Serendipity's Secret', a book I absolutely adored. 'Happier' didn't disappoint either! Read more
Published 12 months ago by Carpe diem
He's from Harvard so it has to be right
This book was written by an academic for academics. It has no practical application for the off-campus population. It reads like the author's mission is to impress other PhD's. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Kevin M. Stack
This book was so hard to read and didn't teach me anything new. The...
I like to read self-help books because they always help me to evaluate my life. I don't think a book can change your life but I do believe that some books give you that one nugget... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Dan K
A must-have book.
Excellent book, easy read, and practically guaranteed to help anyone live a happier life, or at least to know how.
Published 17 months ago by A reader
happy book
Book was advertised as new but had heavy black magic mark on the outside where the book closes. The inside looked new but I didn't like the black line.
Published 19 months ago by Linda K. Rodriguez
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ultimate currency, happiness boosters, happiness revolution, happiness perception, infinitely regressive, material perception
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Happiness Explained, Setting Goals, United States, Seventh Meditation, Second Meditation, Fourth Meditation, Abraham Maslow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Mapping Your Life, Fort Knox, Sixth Meditation, Rat Racer
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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