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140 of 142 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well written but not what I expected - a bit disappointing, January 15, 2011
This review is from: Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way (Hardcover)
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I received an advance copy of "Thrive, finding happiness the Blue Zones way" and was quite excited to read it. However, I quickly became disappointed.
As many previous reviewers have mentioned, there is A LOT of filler detailing the author's personal experiences while visiting the various "happiest places on earth". Quite honestly, the book reads as more of a travelogue, describing his experiences while traveling to research the subject, than a book on why the happiest people are so happy.
The actual information about the happiness factors, for which most people will buy this book, would have been more appropriately written up as a magazine article - and it would have been a pretty interesting article. However, there just isn't enough information for a full book, which is likely why the author has fluffed it up with stories about his experiences while visiting and traveling in the various countries (this is the travelogue aspect, which is about 2/3's of the book)
The findings, which detail whatever aspects of the country, town or people in it that make them so happy, are summarized at the end of each chapter, and then a final summary at the end of the book (again, all would have readily fit into an article as a much more concise read). I will outline the summaries below (so if you DON'T want to know now and would rather find out by reading the book, read no further!)
To me, many of these have a major "Duh!" factor, and don't really reveal things that you can easily change or quickly improve. They are the kind of things that would require a major lifestyle change, a new job, moving to a new area, etc.) Additionally, you will find that some of the recommendations conflict with others - in one country security is more important than a sense of freedom, while in another a sense of freedom is what counts...
Denmark:
If you are round people who are more positive in general, you will become more positive
If you are around trustworthy people and in an environment you trust you will be happier
If you are in a society of tolerance and freedom, (but where most of the people share your ethnic and cultural background) you will be happier
If you are in an area or society of social and economic equality rather than large disparity of "have's and have not's" you'll be happier
If you live somewhere that cares and provides for both the old and the young you'll be happier
If you have a job you enjoy and you don't work too much, and take time to volunteer you'll be happier
If you have activities that you enjoy doing and live in an area with many things to do you'll be happier
If you have a cozy home and frequently socialize with others you'll be happier
If your taxes are used to help facilitate the above, even if it means having most of your income going towards taxes, you'll be happier.
Singapore
Security is more important than the feeling of freedom, if you have security you'll be happier
If basic culture is created by government: everyone has a home, good education, a good living wage, and the necessary social and community services people are happier
Status equality makes people happier
Living your values makes people happier
Mexico:
Living somewhere warm and sunny makes people happier
Having a personal sense of freedom makes people happier
Enjoying yourself and laughing a lot makes people happier
Having just enough money to meet your needs makes people happier
Having strong spiritual faith and being grateful for what you have makes people happier
Over-socializing makes people happier
A strong sense of family and friends makes people happier
San Luis Obispo, California
Citizen empowerment and sense of community makes people happier
Anti-smoking policies makes people happier
Minimal signage around town and lots of parks and green spaces makes people happier
Prohibiting drive through restaurants makes people happier
Favoring pedestrians over cars and having a town square makes people happier
Being involved in the arts or supporting the arts makes people happier
Being able to work at home or work for yourself makes people happier
Last Chapter Summary:
The author takes his findings from the four countries above and groups them together into six categories...
Community - does it help you feel good and support your values?
Workplace - do you enjoy your job and not spend too much time there?
Social life - Do you have friends and family you spend quality time with and that are positive influences?
Financial life - Do you have just enough without over extending and a bit of savings, too?
Home - Do you have a positive living environment that helps you feel good?
Self - Do you have the education, sense of purpose and healthy lifestyle needed to support happiness? Do you have a sense of gratitude, openness, loving, and appreciation of the arts?
So there you have it, the main points summed up. If you enjoy travelogues and stories of personal experiences and encounters, than you will likely enjoy this book. However, if you're seeking a more informational, resource rich guide to personal happiness you may want to look elsewhere.
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154 of 171 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Mix of Messages about Happiness, October 31, 2010
This review is from: Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way (Hardcover)
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Thrive has at its core a very interesting idea. Based on a number of surveys, Dan Buettner identified four areas of the world which are each known for their high happiness levels. These are Denmark, Singapore, Monterrey Mexico, and San Louis Obispo California. That's not to say that people in Singapore are happier than various locations in Europe and the US - but Buettner wanted to examine a range of cultures, so he was looking at "the happiest in their region".
Buettner began with Denmark. Apparently the reason people are happy there is that they are all white, rich, and have self-funded a beautiful social network, sort of like setting up an ideal boarding school that you live in. Oh, and their motto is "well it could be worse". I oversimplify a bit :) But it does seem to boil down to these ideas. Everyone feels like their neighbors are just like them, they all have good money and job opportunities, and they are OK with paying high taxes because it invests right into their fairly small community. Denmark has about 5.3 million people - smaller than New York City.
Now, to be fair, the schools in Denmark encourage them to learn fun, artistic skills. They have beautiful nature around them, they all enjoy riding bikes and stay healthy. Their economy runs smoothly. And again, with their way of life being "This is good enough, be happy it's not sliding downhill," they end up being content with what they have. Which certainly is a lesson that everybody can learn. The average happiness level here was 8/10.
On to Singapore. This is perhaps an "opposite case" to Denmark. Rather than being all the same, Singapore has many different cultures intermingled. Because many of these were foreigners, the government felt the best way to have coexistence happen smoothly was to create strict laws about everything. No gum. No trash. Every person felt as if they could strive and succeed, by following those rules. They feel safe, and that makes them serene.
Where in Denmark they think about how things are OK compared to the alternatives, in Singapore they focus on the things they can get. They're jealous of those with more money and drive to get that money for themselves. Buettner talks to people with 300 shoes who go to wild parties. Where in Denmark it seemed people were low key and quiet, here it's about glitz and glamour. Interestingly, this "happiest place" in the Asian region is only 6.6 on the happiness scale.
On to Mexico. This is yet another situation entirely. The Mexicans feel their government is incredibly corrupt and have no sense of security there. They certainly do not have lots of money or ample jobs. Instead, what makes the Monterrey group happy is family, community, and religion. They have the sense that they are all in this together - this bleak state - and as long as they can laugh, sing, and enjoy what they have, they can get through it. Their average income is $11,000 a year - certainly not enough to buy 300 pairs of shoes, but enough to stay fed and sheltered. Their community is their main source of support. They don't crave high def TVs or fancy cars. They enjoy dancing together at the local celebration.
It's worth noting though that Monterrey is the most wealthy area of Mexico. So they know they are better off than all other Mexicans, which can certainly effect how content you are with what you have.
Last we come to San Louis Obispo. We have circled around to a rich, exclusive area again. Apparently students who go to school here are warned that while they will fall in love with the beauty of the surrounding nature and the great arts and social scene of the town, that it's unlikely they'll be able to afford living here. It is a wealthy retreat that many desire to join. People come here who love the scenery and who appreciate the artistic offerings. It is almost back to the "boarding school" idea, that you have a lot of money and you use that money to create an enclosed world of your dreams.
Buettner tries to sum up these four different locations with some ideals that we can all live by. Some of them make sense. If you're self employed, you have some of the highest chances of happiness. Sure, because you can work on what you want to work on, you can direct your own life, and you reap all the rewards. In Okinawa there is no word for "retire". People do not stop doing what they love just because they hit an arbitrary age limit. Sure, they might change their interests over time, but they stay engaged and active in them.
Other suggestions seem very iffy though. "Join a church"? While in Mexico their religion gives them a common support system to fight the government's corruption, the book also says that there are many very religious locations that are the most miserable on earth. It hardly seems that going to church, if you're not interested, can inject happiness into your life. Quite the opposite.
Also, Buettner apparently is against living together before marriage. He says people more likely to live together are more likely to divorce. Sure, and you can also say that people who are adamantly against living together are also the ones who will stay in abusive relationships because "divorce is wrong". With stats saying that almost 1/3rd of women are abused by their husband or boyfriend, I wouldn't be so quick to jump on the "stay together at all costs" bandwagon.
I also had an issue with how gleefully Buettner seemed to enjoy finding wealthy people in these different locations and living the high life with them. I had to wade through details of sake parties, Champagne parties, and the famous people he met. I really didn't read the book to learn about Buettner's party life. I wanted to know how average people lived - not how the rich and famous hob-nobbed with nobility.
Still, there was a lot of valuable information here to learn from the different cultures. You could of course take away the thought that being wealthy can buy you happiness and let you live somewhere that's beautiful and well taken care of. You can imagine that the fun of making money and buying lots of things can keep fueling your happiness. The book seems to say all of these things. However, I like to look at the various scenarios a bit differently.
In Denmark, they were all happy with what they had. Sure, again, they were wealthy! They were in a calm, no-ethnic-strife, beautiful location. But even so, a key part of their contentment was that they appreciated what they had, and did not chase additional wealth or items.
In Singapore, a key seemed to be that they felt safe and secure. One woman said she could go walking through the city at midnight and feel no concern. Their world was organized to help them thrive, based on their energies and efforts.
In Monterrey, the community provided their pleasure. They thrilled with family and friends, spending time together, and simply having fun. It wasn't about money or buying things - it was about relationships.
In California, it was about appreciating natural beauty and the arts. If you give yourself time to walk quietly through the forest, and then relax in the evening by listening to beautiful music, it brings joy to your heart.
I recommend reading Thrive to learn more about these different groups of people, but be aware that sometimes you'll have to sift through what Buettner is saying in order to figure out what is important to you.
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36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wish he had covered more countries like in The Blue Zones, September 20, 2010
This review is from: Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Having read The Blue Zones and learned a lot from that book, I was eager to read this book. And it hasn't disappointed. Knowing the one area, San Luis Obispo here in California which he writes about, and knowing what he writes is true, made me believe the rest of the book as well.
Although his chapter on Denmark/Danmark was interesting for what it didn't say. Yes, they pay something around 68% in taxes, but in 2010 they unlike many countries, are still heavily Caucasian, and many studies show that when your neighbor looks more like you and has the same values etc that its not as hard to deny them needed services, and in doing so you have a more stable country/society.
Same with the other countries like Mexico and Singapore which are also covered in the book. Although I wonder if Mexico which has been in the news so much and has regions where drug killings are the norm, would be seen as a happy country in late 2010.
I recommend The Blue Zone book more because it covers many more countries and shows that the simpler the lifestyle the happier people tend to be. Am also intrigued that in most happy countries people ride bikes more, eat simpler native foods, sleep more, and are more family oriented. Something Americans are just now rediscovering.
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