![Daniel H. Pink says, “[Achor is] one of the leading thinkers in the field of positive psychology.”](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media-library-service-media/c4f41313-7163-4bff-b503-104556816d21.__CR0,0,300,300_PT0_SX300_V1___.jpg)
![Adam Grant says, “Shawn Achor [is] the leading light in bringing the science of happiness to work.”](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media-library-service-media/2584e83f-53bb-4c75-8995-b6f53b6e59ca.__CR0,0,300,300_PT0_SX300_V1___.jpg)
This book, published six years ago, succinctly captures seven principles that will enhance anyone’s work life. While many of the ideas are found elsewhere, this is an engaging summary account. If you take the advice to heart, you will have a distinct advantage in the workplace. I will share just three principles.
The first is the debunking of a myth. The myth is that if you work hard, you can achieve success in your chosen field, and once you achieve success, you’ll be happy. The success could be the raise in your salary or position in the organization, status or great wealth.
Ground-breaking research in the fields of positive psychology and neuroscience, has demonstrated unequivocally that there is a relationship between success and happiness - however not in the direction we commonly assume.
Meta-analysis of happiness research of over 200 scientific studies on nearly 275,000 people, demonstrates that happiness leads to success in nearly every area of our lives, from marriage to health, and more specifically in our careers and businesses.
Success does not lead to happiness; happiness leads to success! Success is not the cause of happiness: it is the result of happiness as evidenced by literally thousands of scientific studies. This explains the title of the book – The Happiness Advantage.
One simple illustration was an experiment with 4-year olds that demonstrated the positive effects of happiness on solving puzzles. Some of the children were first asked to recall events that made them happy, and the others were simply asked to solve the puzzle. In the lives of 4-year olds, the event that made them happy was recalling the jelly they had at lunch, and this made them more successful. Similarly, happy recollections had a positive effect on the accuracy of doctors doing a complex diagnosis!
Finding anything in your day at work that makes you feel happier will make you more productive. While this may seem simplistic, the scientific evidence is unassailable, and it would be ridiculous not to use this insight. That is why sophisticated companies cultivate working environments where employees experience small bursts of happiness - sharing birthday cake or a quick game of pool.
You too could do this in your business.
Another principle for improving happiness and consequently success, Achor calls ‘the Tetris Effect’.
In one study students played Tetris, (a shape-forming computer game,) for hours. For days after the study, some participants literally couldn’t stop seeing the world as sets of Tetris shapes, from books on tables to actually dreaming about shapes falling from the sky.
This effect is called a “cognitive afterimage,” very similar to the dots in your vision seconds after someone takes a flash-photograph of you.
Achor describes work he had been doing with the tax accountant KPMG, to help their tax auditors and managers become happier. These are people who spend 8 to 14 hours a day finding errors in tax forms and like the students who had played Tetris, their brains were becoming wired to look for mistakes. “When they went home to their families, they noticed only the C’s on their kids’ report cards, never the A’s.”
The problem is being unable to compartmentalize abilities: athletes who can’t stop competing with their friends or families, and managers who can’t stop micromanaging their children’s lives. This is the negative Tetris Effect.
Imagine a way of seeing that constantly picked up on the positives in every situation - the Positive Tetris Effect: “Instead of creating a cognitive pattern that looks for negatives and blocks success, it trains our brains to scan the world for the opportunities and ideas, that allow our success rate to grow.”
Armed with positivity, the brain is open to possibility. “We can train our brains to let in these messages that make us more adaptive, more creative, and more motivated—messages that allow us to spot and pounce on more opportunities at work,” Achor explains.
A now well-known study of the U.S. MetLife insurance agents, found that the more positive agents sold 37% more insurance than the more negative ones. When the company committed to hire agents picked solely on the basis of their positive thinking style, these agents out-sold their more negative colleagues by 21% in their first year of work, and by 57% in their second.
The best way to kick-start this process is by listing the good things in your work and your life, daily. “In just five minutes a day, this trains the brain to become more skilled at noticing and focusing on possibilities for personal and professional growth, and seizing opportunities to act on them.”
Achor’s ‘Social Investment’ happiness principle, is putting time and effort into friends, peers, and family members, probably our greatest single asset class.
When disaster and collapse happened in the financial world in 2008, traders didn’t retreat to the stronghold of their teams in bars and coffee shops, as they normally did after a day of trading. They all walked off silent and alone. “At the very time that they needed one another most, they were forgoing their most valuable resource: their social support,” Achor notes.
It is so easy and common to retreat into our own shells at the very moment when we most need to be reaching out to others. However, the most successful people, instead of turning inward, hold more tightly to their social support. These people are not only happier, but they are more productive, energetic, and resilient.
The Harvard Men study, a 70-year study of 268 of Harvard freshmen in the late 1930s to the present, demonstrated that our relationships with other people matter more than anything else in the world. Bar none. When we have a spouse, family, friends, or colleagues we can count on, we multiply our emotional, intellectual, and physical abilities, recover from setbacks faster, and accomplish more.
In another study researching the characteristics of the happiest 10% of people, one characteristic stood out above all others: the strength of their social relationships.
If you must cut out some part of life to cope with the demands on your time, your social connections should be the last on the list. “When set adrift, it seems, those of us who hold on to our raftmates, not just our rafts, are the ones who will stay afloat,” says Achor pithily.
The value of this book lies in the specific, actionable, and proven principles that predict success and achievement, and that can and should be incorporated into one’s life. Doing so will give you the “happiness advantage” that has been proven to increase success.
Readability Light --+-- Serious
Insights High -+--- Low
Practical High -+--- Low
*Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy and is the author of Strategy that Works.
Enjoy fast, FREE delivery, exclusive deals and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
| Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$0.00
| Free with your Audible trial | |
|
Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry" | $15.75 | $5.00 |
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
$16.74
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jun 6
In Stock.
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
More items to explore
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Popular Highlights in this book
Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; it is the realization that we can.Highlighted by 7,828 Kindle readers- The mental construction of our daily activities, more than the activity itself, defines our reality.Highlighted by 6,858 Kindle readers
- For me, happiness is the joy we feel striving after our potential.Highlighted by 6,646 Kindle readers
From the Publisher
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Big Potential | Before Happiness | |
| Shows how to unlock hidden sources of potential in ourselves and others | Helps answer the question: Why are some people able to make positive change while others remain the same? |
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Page folded and glued to the binding
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2019
This arrived yesterday and a page is folded over. Not a big deal, except that it's glued into the binding. I planned on giving it as a gift, but now I will keep it for myself.
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2019
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Andrew D Wright
the psychological effort of humanity was focused Eeyore like on the negative side of our mental lives
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 2, 2016
Amazon Customer
Five stars for the idea but could contain more tips
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 31, 2017
Steps Ahead Fan
You only need to read half of the book.....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 3, 2020Gustavo Valencia
Great book, not just for those of us needing some help
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 25, 2021Catherine Chisnall
Could have been half as long
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 13, 2019
