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

~ (Author) "We social scientists can count crimes..." (more)
Key Phrases: subliminal tapes, statistical digest, United States, University of Michigan, Ronald Inglehart (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Social psychologist David G. Myers has reviewed thousands of recent scientific studies conducted worldwide in search of the key to happiness. With wit and wisdom, he explodes some of the popular myths on the subject and presents specific techniques for finding true joy in living:

Are most people happy?

What are the inner traits of happy people?

Are extroverts happier than introverts?

Are men happier than women?

Does religious faith promote inner peace and joy?

Does well-being come with being well-off?

Are happy children more likely to become happy adults?

What part do friends play in personal happiness?

Is age a factor in feeling happy?

What can you do to improve your own sense of well-being?
and much more

About the Author

David G. Myers is an award-winning teacher at Michigan's Hope College and a recipient of the Gordon Allport Prize for his National Science Foundation-funded experiments on group influence. He is the author of eight books, including Psychology, the most widely studied text in his field. He has published articles in numerous periodicals, including Science, American Scientist, Saturday Review, and Psychology Today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (June 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380715228
• ISBN-13: 978-0380715220
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,125 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why you are smiling or scowling?, March 3, 2004

By	Terry Vermeylen "mylifechanges.com" (Montreal) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating summaries of studies of well-being, April 29, 2004

By A Customer

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Happiness is a topic you can never learn too much about, May 28, 2003

By	Kristina Russell (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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.