Customer Reviews

The Pursuit of Happiness: Discovering the Pathway to Fulfillment, Well-Being, and Enduring Personal Joy

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2 star:		(1)
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This is one of the best books on the subject of happiness. It is a serious book written based on fact (backed up by research) and not fluff. When I say fluff I'm referring to all those books with the authors personal claim to 100 ways to happiness. In this book the bibliography is 40 pages alone, with about 520 books or articles used as reference. 520! You can see that there has been a great deal of hard-core research done.

Other books tell you to picture your dreams or hug your neighbor. Not this one. David backs up all his arguments with numerous studies that have been performed in recent years.

An early chapter on wealth and well being contains information from at least ten studies. One study covers sixteen countries and involves responses from 170, 000 participants. I'm happy to see that David has looked at happiness within the influence of a culture not just the individual itself. In happiness books I believe it is important to correlate happiness between the culture and the individual. Like David points out, a boy in Africa playing with a tin can, can be as happy as Richy Rich in North America and his fully loaded gaming lap top. Obviously our society places too much emphasis on wealth and materialism to fuel our happy cells when perhaps we should be simply fine-tuning our attitudes.

The chapter describing the four traits of happy people is an excellent short list of reasons on why some are cheerful (and some grouchy). I see that they undoubtedly apply to me.

· I like myself . . .(Self Esteem, happy people like themselves).

· My destiny is my own in that I have "earned", a great job, super home, improving golf game and supporting family . . .(Personal Control, happy people choose their destinies).

· I am positive about my future . . .(Optimism, happy people are hope filled).

· I like giving presentations and also acting the fool around others. . (Extraversion . . .happy people are outgoing)

David also discusses the topic of flow, which has been extensively researched by Mihal Csikszentmihalyi. Flow is about finding meaning in what you are doing and being engaged to the point of losing sense of time. I can't agree with him more on this important happiness trigger since time can torture us when we are idle, and be forgotten when we are fully engaged. Remember when the afternoon whizzed by? I don't think you were flicking channels on the TV. Perhaps you were engaging or stretching your mind (playing guitar, reading, scuba diving . . .etc) therefore growing as a human being. For more information on this subject see my review on Mihal's book focusing on Flow.

David also presents his view on friendship and happiness again backed up by plenty of concrete research from various institutions. The same goes for love, marriage, and faith.

The only weak area in this book, is the chapter on faith where religion is examined and whether it plays an important role in happiness. I found the chapter too long, it jumped around a lot and it did not end the book well. I think the chapter describing the four traits of happiness would have been a great closer.

With that said I still have to give this book an excellent rating. I am awed at the amount of obviously great research that has been done. This piece of work will leave you with obvious understanding why some of us are grinning and some are scowling.

I found this book very useful because its not preaching from one point of view, or with one "fool-proof" method. Instead, it is a professional psychologist's survey of research (from over 100 years) that objectively notes characteristics of happy people. It reaffirmed some beliefs I have, and shattered some others (such as more money = more happiness). Overall, this is a very well-researched, and yet pleasant book to read that makes you think about what makes you, the reader, happy in your own life.

David Meyeres does an excellent job of highlighting a subject in which everyone should be more knowledgeable. A great range of information is conveyed in a very organized, clear style. The book is clearly meant for a reader interested in learning more about happiness in detailed depth, without assuming the reader is a Ph.D. psychologist. The points within this book are significant, but Meyers has written the book in such a manner that it is still comprehensive to those beginning their study.

With unhappiness on the upward trend, this book could benefit most anyone. It provides worthwhile facts in a clear, fascinating way. This book is one step closer to achieving a healthier, happier society.

After reading this book for a school assingment, I was very pleased to find I could also take a great deal away and relate it to my own life. Meyers points out several factors interfereing with achieving happiness. This book has helped me identify the sources of my unhappiness, and given me the ability to better enjoy life. My previous perspectives have been improved. I am sure The Pursuit of Happiness could be an aid for anyone feeling mildly unhappy, or those who are merely curious in understanding the fundamentals behind human happiness. This book discusses everything from age, gender, race, social status, marriage, friends, and religion and their impacts on happiness. There are some bits of information which seem to be common sense. However, it is better to know the truth, then assume something incorrectly.

David Myers summarizes and synthesizes studies on the sense of well-being and happiness. What makes us happy, or what makes us perceive to be happy? Study after study is cited to describe factors that are related or unrelated to happiness, sometimes disproving "conventional wisdom." Myers explains cultural factors and thinking patterns, and how they are related to how happy we are.

After reading this book, I have a better understanding of what really matters in life, and why. I also better know how to foster my own happiness, and what to pursue after. Wealth doesn't matter. Thankfulness does help. Ethnicity doesn't matter. Having a close network of friends does.

I highly recommend this book as a great information source on happiness. It is not a self help book, but a renowned psychologists wisdom woven with objective studies.

People want to be happy more than anything else, of course. A no-brainer, huh? How ironic it is, then, that so few of us know the facts of happiness. How can happiness be defined and measured? Who is happy, who is not, and why? Does sex, money, status, marriage, or occupational success lead to happiness? If not, why not? The answers are surprising, to say the least. If you know them, you'll improve your odds of finding your own happiness and helping others find theirs.

Great book on explaining what truely makes people happy. Not a fluffy self-help book, but one that will make you think and put things into perspective. What I like the best was that most of the author's points were backed by research.

The author investigates a variety of conditions to see if they do or do not promote happiness. The focus of the book is psychological studies, making the ideas more scientifically authoritative. It's strong points are an entire chaper devoted to "Love and Marriage" and a chapter on "Flow in Work and Play." The book concludes with an epilogue listing the key points of the book in 2 pages. Three cheers for brevity!

Anicius Boethius (480 to 524) wrote "The Consolation of Philosophy" long ago while he was awaiting his execution. Boethius covered all the key points in Myers' book long ago and was more eloquent. Myers' does not really give you a guide book for living a happy life. He says, "The essence of happiness is pausing to savor the gift of our present moments." There is so much more to living a happy, fulfilling life than that. I recommend "Achieve Lasting Happiness" by Robert Canright as a better guide for living a happy life.

I first heard of "The Pursuit of Happiness" by David G. Myers as a recommended read in "Psychology Applied to Modern Life" by Wayne Weiten and Margaret A. Lloyd - a truly remarkable textbook. This obviously gives immediate credibility to this book, and I have to say that my personal assessment of it is in keeping with that of the two aforementioned authors.

Take these few quotes as a preview of "The pursuit of Happiness" by David G. Myers, a treasure-trove of modern wisdom:

"Happiness is loving what you do, and knowing it matters."

"Well-being resides not in mindless passivity but in mindful challenge."

"Growing up means gaining the wisdom and skills to get what we want within the limitations imposed by reality."

"... two ways to be rich: One is to have great wealth. The other is to have few wants."

"Realizing that well-being is something other than being well-off is liberating. It liberates us from spending on eighteen-hundred-dollar dresses, on stockpiles of unplayed CDs, on luxury cars, on seagoing luxury homes-all purchased in a vain quest for an elusive joy. It liberates us from envying the life-styles of the rich and famous. It liberates us to invest ourselves into developing traits, attitudes, relationships, activities, environments, and spiritual resources that will promote our own, and others', well-being."

Happy reading!

Laurent Grenier, author of the book "A Reason for Living."

This is one of the best books I have ever read. On a whim I picked up this book for leisure and ended up using it to take another look at my life. Although the author does not come right out and tell you what it takes to be happy he gives you enough information for you to get some real good clues.

This book proved to be an extremely interesting read. Not written in typical self-improvement genre, but more a scientific study. I was entertained by it and found it both interesting and at times surprising. It was a refreshing break from the more pollyanna viewpoint. The last chapter disappointed me. It seemed to deviate from the spirit of the book and I sensed the author bestowing his own dogmatic view point to culminate an otherwise good read.