This 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 scientifically, and to extract from it the lessons that apply to our modern lives.Jonathan Haidt skillfully combines two genres#151;philosophical wisdom and scientific research#151;delighting the reader with surprising insights. He explains, for example, why we have such difficulty controlling ourselves and sticking to our plans; why no achievement brings lasting happiness, yet a few changes in your life can have profound effects, and why even confirmed atheists experience spiritual elevation. In a stunning final chapter, Haidt addresses the grand question "How can I live a meaningful life?," offering an original answer that draws on the rich inspiration of both philosophy and science.
A strange path led me to write the Happiness Hypothesis. It all started with an existential crisis in high school -- after reading "Waiting for Godot" I became convinced there was no meaning to life. So I majored in philosophy in college, which was of little help. Then I went to graduate school in psychology, where I began to study morality and culture. Then I did post-doctoral research in anthropology (including 3 months in India), then a year of research in health psychology. It felt like meandering at the time, but every period of these travels contributed many ideas to The Happiness Hypothesis, which ends with an answer to the question: What is the meaning of life?
I'm now an associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia -- an idyllic university founded by Thomas Jefferson. My next projects will involve taking the insights about balance and virtue that I came to while writing the Happiness Hypothesis, and applying them to the American culture wars. I am conducting research that may help liberals and conservatives to understand each other -- and why both sides are necessary for the health of our democracy.
