Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Robert Biswas-Diener (Author)
Key Phrases: psychological wealth, happiness data, happiness set point, Happy People Function Better, Putting It All Together, Can Money Buy Happiness (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Happiness challenges the present thinking of the causes and consequences of happiness and redefines our modern notions of happiness. It shares the results of three decades of research on happiness, and covers the most important advances in our understanding of happiness.” (Adolescence, April 2009)

“Happiness is a process, not a place. That's one of the key concepts that leaps from Happiness: Unlocking The Mysteries Of Psychological Wealth by Ed Diener and Robert Biswas- Diener.” (Diana's Blog: Quirky Words and Book)

“Happiness challenges the present thinking af the causes and consequences of happiness and redefines our modern notions of happiness. It shares the results of three decades of research on happiness, and covers the most important advances in our understanding of happiness. It also offers readers access to the world's leading experts on happiness, and provides 'real world' examples that will resonate with general readers as well as scholars.” (Family Therapy)

“In their sweeping new book Diener and his son, Robert Biswas-Diener, distill the results of worldwide research into happiness and come up with an explanation, a recipe, for a sustained state of good feeling, psychological wealth, as they call it.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 2008)

“The authors write in a that is clear and accessible to a general audience; furthermore, they frequently infuse humor into their work. I certainly respect Diener and Biswas-Diener as well as admire the amount effort they have each put into their life's work.” (Metapsychology, November 2008)

"Pioneering researchers Professor Ed and his son Robert Biswas-Diener explain ... why most things we've been told are wrong." (Psychologies, November 2008)

“Ed Diener [says], 'Happiness is not a set of desirable life circumstances. It's a way of traveling.' Diener's new book, written with his son, Robert Biswas-Diener, a life coach, offers guidance for those interested in taking a road trip. As the Dieners synthesize the latest research … they challenge the conventional party line on well-being.” (O Magazine)

"Among the recent glut of books about happiness, this one shines out. Highly readable and entertaining, its authors are perhaps the pre-eminent researchers on the subject … The advice on how to gain an appropriate level of happiness is way ahead of that offered by most self-help books." (New Scientist)

“If you’re looking for one thoughtful, comprehensive book to help you understand the science of happiness better, this is exactly what you’re looking for. It’s also a good read, accessible, concise, and even funny, which isn’t true of all such books, and there’s a lot of information I hadn’t seen elsewhere.” (Happiness Project)

"This book is absolutely a delight to read. [The authors] have made the science very accessible and practical. You will love the stories they weave into the text. The Dieners take us along on their adventures around the world. We tag along as they unlock the mysteries of happiness. As you read the book you come to understand why Diener is known as the ‘Jedi Master of Happiness’ and why Biswas-Diener has been called the ‘Indiana Jones of Psychology.’ Get the book, settle into a comfortable chair, buckle your seatbelt, and enjoy the ride." (Positive Psychology News Daily)

Review

"This is the most authoritative and informative book about happiness ever written. That’s not surprising, given that its authors are the world’s leading happiness researcher and his psychologist-son, whose vocation is coaching people toward happier lives."
–David G. Myers, Hope College, author, The Pursuit of Happiness: Who is Happy, and Why

"A great gift from the leading professional scientist of happiness in the world and his son, the 'Indiana Jones' of positive psychology."
–Martin E. P. Seligman, University of Pennsylvania and author, Authentic Happiness

"Want the key to happiness and success in life, choose the right advisor. On the subject of happiness, students, researchers, businesses, and governments have been turning to Ed Diener. Now, in this powerful, ground-breaking book, we have the opportunity to receive the coveted advice of Dr. Diener and his son Robert Biswas-Diener. This book is a must read if you want a practical, enjoyable, and uplifting science-based guide to achieving real psychological wealth."
–David J. Pollay, B.A. Yale, M.A.P.P. University of Pennsylvania, President, The Momentum Project, Syndicated Columnist, and Author of The Law of the Garbage Truck

"The collaboration between the foremost authority on happiness research and the “Indiana Jones” of psychology makes for a great mix of interesting examples and solid research. I have never seen a book that does such a good job offering useful practical advice while basing this advice on completely sound empirical research."
–Richard E. Lucas, Michigan State University

"This is a happiness book by the world authority, the pre-eminent scholar in the field along with an in-the-trenches coach who teaches and adapts this material every day for practical use with his clients. These folks know happiness from the inside out. The authors separate the wheat from the chaff, and serve up a meal replete with tasty morsels of practical advice on how to live. A joy to read!" 
–Michael B. Frisch, Baylor University, author, Quality of Life Therapy

"Finally the definitive book on happiness from the world’s leading expert, Ed Diener, and his son, Robert Biswas-Diener, known as the “Indiana Jones” of Positive Psychology. The authors bring over thirty years of research and practice into this engaging book that reveals the secrets of psychological wealth – your true net work -- which includes your attitudes toward life, social support, spiritual development, material resources, and health. This is a landmark book that should be read not only by laypersons but also scholars, educators, business leaders and decision-makers interested in global well-being and human happiness. " 
–Jim Clifton, Chairman & CEO, The Gallup Organization

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (September 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405146613
• ISBN-13: 978-1405146616
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,652 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Balanced, Scientific Book on Happiness, November 9, 2009

By	psych major - See all my reviews

I was always wondering if Ed Diener would get around to writing a happiness book for the popular read. For those not in the know, Ed Diener is one of the most well-known happiness researchers out there- and has been contributing to the positive psychology field for literally decades by adding piles of his own research papers to the ever growing stack of happiness studies. Based on a lot of his work that I have read, I figured the book would be pretty sceintific-minded. And I was right- you'll find no baloney here.

"Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth" contains over 250 pages explaining in layman's terms, more or less, just about everything you ever wanted to know about happiness. Some of the more interesting topics covered include:

-health and happiness
-happiness and social relationships
-happiness at work
-money and happiness
-spirituality and happiness
-the happiest places on earth
-the genetic set point and happiness

Perhaps the most impressive thing I found in this book was the author's attitude about happiness. Here are people who have spent years researching happiness, and yet they seem to have put it all in a sensible perspective. Consider this:

--happiness is something to shoot for most of the time, but negative emotions serve a useful purpose as well on occasion

--while happiness can be reaching a desirable place, such as having good health, a successful carreer and a great family, don't overlook the process side of happiness in the pursuit of the good life (this is also a major point of another favorite happiness book of mine Happier: Can You Learn to be Happy?). In other words, happiness isn't only a destination, but also the journey.

--happiness isn't JUST about feeling good, it is also good for you in a number of other surprising ways

What more can I say? For anyone looking for a detailed, well-balanced, scientific look at happiness, its a great read. If you're not into the research-side as much, try "Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World".

50 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well-needed, fair and balanced book on the science of happiness, September 8, 2008

By	Todd B. Kashdan - See all my reviews

The first thing you should ask yourself is why on earth do we need another happiness book? David Myers wrote the Pursuit of Happiness in 1992, Martin Seligman wrote Authentic Happiness in 2002, and then Sonja Lyubomirsky wrote the How of Happiness and Marci Shimoff wrote Happy for No Reason in 2007. Then there are dozens of other books on the topic in the last 3 years. Do we really need another one?

My initial answer was absolutely not until I read this book. Ed Diener is the first scientist to devote a career to studying the nature of happiness. After 30 years of conducting research on the topic, he IS the authority on the topic and its about time he wrote a book. As for his son, Robert Biswas-Diener, he has been out in the field conducting the exotic, exciting research in various cultures that everyone else writes about. Why not hear about the nuances of their work from them instead of watered-down, overly simplified versions by others?

There are several chapters in this book that do a killer job at addressing the complexity of what we know and don't know about happiness.

Chapter 6 is about money and happiness. Forget the soundbites you hear that if you make more than $40,000/year, an increase in money is irrelevant to happiness. The Dieners' dig into the data, providing a fair and balanced analysis of the situations when money is relevant to happiness.

Chapter 7 is about spirituality and religion. Another topic that has been reduced to a useless soundbite that being religious is good, end of story. Again, the Dieners' dig further into the research than their predecessors. They toe the line perfectly of what the research says and doesn't say.

Chapter 8 is about how happiness operates in different countries and cultures. A point often missed except for intriguing data showing that we should all be living in Denmark (happiest place in the world?). Like other chapters, they describe scientific studies like a novelist. Interesting, informative, and thought provoking. Interspersed with personal stories of Robert's travels, it reminds you that science needs good storytellers and the Dieners' fit the bill.

Another topic that has been shortchanged by soundbites is the idea that humans have this amazing ability to adapt to life circumstances. Thus, happiness is hard to hold onto (sound familiar?). I honestly believe that the way adaptation is discussed in this book will change the way people will discuss and teach this topic. I was amazed that they were able to distill the information in layperson terms but they did it.

This is what they do best: take complex issues with multiple points and caveats, and write about them in a way that's interesting and easy to digest. It will be easy for readers to miss the subtle new interpretations of old ideas. They do a great job of shredding apart soundbites tossed around by journalists, other authors, and the mob of people interested in positive psychology or happiness. Insights are assured by a close reading of this book.

Author of Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive, well-researched manual, August 25, 2009

By	Beth Cholette "doctor_beth" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book is written by a father-son team, Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener. Both have done extensive research in the happiness field, with latter collecting data--often in a fairly unconventional manner--from around the world. They chose to focus their book on the concept of psychological wealth, which includes not only happiness but also additional factors such as one's attitude towards life, social support, material resources, and other influences. The authors lay out their book in several parts. Part I simply expands on the concept of psychological wealth and the principles that define it. Parts II and III form the core of the book: in Part II, the authors make the case that happy people function better, particularly in the areas of health, social relationships, and work, and in Part III, they examine the specific causes of happiness. Finally, the last section of the book, Part IV, involves putting everything together, including summarizing the previous concepts and providing various measures of psychological wealth.

The authors write in a style that is clear and accessible to a general audience; furthermore, they frequently infuse humor into their work. But less than halfway through the book, I found myself to be surprisingly bored. One of the main ways in which the authors lost me is that they tend to overstate their case to the readers; often I found myself having a reaction along the lines of "yes, yes, I get it already!" In fact, in Chapter 13, "Living Happily Ever After," the authors offer short summaries of each of the key chapters from Parts II and III of the book, and I found these brief synopses sufficient to convey the most salient and necessary points. Another issue I had is that I'm not sure who, exactly, is the appropriate audience for this book. For the mental health professional like myself (I'm a clinical psychologist), the authors do offer a few new insights into the factors which contribute to psychological wealth, but as mentioned above, they are quite slow to make their points. For the more general reader, the authors provide little in the way of practical applications of their research, with the exception of their AIM theory, or how one chooses to direct one's attention. Unfortunately, the AIM model does not seem significantly different from the concept of Learned Optimism introduced by the founder of positive psychology, psychologist Martin Seligman, well over 15 years ago.

I certainly respect Diener and Biswas-Diener as well as admire the amount effort they have each put into their life's work. Unfortunately, however, I think that this book fails to truly convey the importance and excitement of that work to the reader. Therefore, my final rating is 3 1/2 stars.