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The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom Paperback – December 1, 2006

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 4,504 ratings

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"I really can't recommend this book enough. It's one of the best and most insightful books I've ever read."―Joe Rogan

"[T]he psychologist Jonathan Haidt shows in his wonderfully smart and readable
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom [that] modern science and history have a lot to say to each other." ―Darrin McMahon, The Washington Post

"[An] inspiring nuanced study."―
People

"[A] marvelous book.... I don't think I've ever read a book that laid out the contemporary understanding of the human condition with such simple clarity and sense." ―
Guardian, (UK)

"This unusual book sets itself apart from the self-help category with its extensive scientific references, and intelligent, neutral prose, while the author's illuminating illustration of how the human mind works is both educational and refreshing." ―
Sunday Times (London)

"With singular gusto, Haidt measures ten 'Great Ideas' against past/present research in psychology and science.
LJ's verdict: Dr. Phil et al. don't have diddly on the old-school sages. No man is an island, indeed, and no modern reader should be without this carefully considered demystification of life." ―Library Journal, Best Books 2006

"This is a delightful book.... Haidt's writing embraces spiritual and mystical viewpoints while retaining scientific and rational coherence." ―
Nature

"A disarming, original book, reassuring to those more conversant with worriment than merriment.... Smart and serious without pomposity." ―
Seattle Times

"Haidt's remedy for the modern glut of frivolous self-help literature is to review and revise the classics, examining the ideas of thinkers like Plato, Buddha and Jesus in light of modern research into human behavior. Along the way, Haidt, a social psychologist, provides practical advice for parenting, romance, work and coping with the political and cultural divisions currently preoccupying the country." ―
Psychology Today

The Happiness Hypothesis is a wonderful and nuanced book that provides deep insight into the some of the most important questions in life--Why are we here? What kind of life should we lead? What paths lead to happiness? From the ancient philosophers to cutting edge scientists, Haidt weaves a tapestry of the best and the brightest. His highly original work on elevation and awe--two long-neglected emotions--adds a new weave to that tapestry. A truly inspiring book." ―David M. Buss, author of The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating

"This fresh and original book goes to the heart of what people have found out about happiness, across cultures and times. Enjoyable, important, and eminently readable." ―
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of FLOW

"Jonathan Haidt leaves no doubt about the importance of emotion in the creation of personal meaning. This is a delightful and courageous book." ―
Antonio Damasio, author of Looking for Spinoza

"In this beautifully written book, Jonathan Haidt shows us the deep connection that exists between cutting-edge psychological research and the wisdom of the ancients. It is inspiring to see how much modern psychology informs life's most central and persistent questions." ―
Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

"Should we live our lives by age-old wisdom or the latest discoveries? Haidt gives us the luxury of not having to choose, bringing together both sources of insight in this sparkling investigation into the psychology of life and happiness." ―
Daniel Wegner, author of The Illusion of Conscious Will

"It would be something of an exaggeration to say that Jonathan Haidt has found the final answer to happiness, but he has come as close as any other writer of our times. Every page of his book provides gems of insight about the good life and where to look for it. Anyone who is interested in humannature and its potential must read this book." ―
William Damon, Director, Stanford Center on Adolescence, and author of The Moral Child

"An intellectual tour de force that weaves into one fabric wisdom that is ancient and modern, religious and scientific, Eastern and Western, liberal and conservative all with the aim of pointing us to a more meaningful, moral, and satisfying life." ―
David G. Myers, Professor of Psychology, Hope College, author of Intuition: Its Powers and Its Perils

"
The Happiness Hypothesis... has more to say about the pleasures and perils, the truths, of being alive than any book I've read in a long time." ―San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Haidt's is an open-minded, robust look at philosophy, psychological fact and spiritual mystery, of scientific rationalism and the unknowable ephemeral--an honest inquiry that concludes that the best life is, perhaps, one lived in the balance of opposites." ―
Bookpage

"An erudite, fluently written, stimulating reassessment of age-old issues."―
Publishers Weekly, starred review

About the Author

Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business. He is a social psychologist whose research examines morality and the moral emotions. He is the author of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, and the coauthor of The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; 1st edition (December 1, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465028020
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465028023
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 11 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 4,504 ratings

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Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and then did post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago and in Orissa, India. He taught at the University of Virginia for 16 years before moving to NYU-Stern in 2011. He was named one of the "top global thinkers" by Foreign Policy magazine, and one of the "top world thinkers" by Prospect magazine.

His research focuses on morality - its emotional foundations, cultural variations, and developmental course. He began his career studying the negative moral emotions, such as disgust, shame, and vengeance, but then moved on to the understudied positive moral emotions, such as admiration, awe, and moral elevation. He is the co-developer of Moral Foundations theory, and of the research site YourMorals.org. He is a co-founder of HeterodoxAcademy.org, which advocates for viewpoint diversity in higher education. He uses his research to help people understand and respect the moral motives of their enemies (see CivilPolitics.org, and see his TED talks). He is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom; The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion; and (with Greg Lukianoff) The Coddling of the American Mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting a generation up for failure. For more information see www.JonathanHaidt.com.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
4,504 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 21, 2023
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5.0 out of 5 stars Happiness = Setpoint + Conditions + Voluntary Activities
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 21, 2023
Scholars throughout history have written about happiness: What does a happy life look like? How do we achieve it? Should we be trying to? Obviously, there are no objective answers to these questions, we must all answer them for ourselves. Luckily for those of us living in the 21st century, we have science to help. In this book on happiness, our author Jonathan Haidt (professor of social psychology) combines ancient wisdom and modern social science to help point us in the right direction.

One of the most important ideas developed by modern psychology is what is called the “happiness hypothesis,” and it is an equation that looks like this: Happiness = Setpoint + Conditions + Voluntary Activities.

Our Setpoint is where we start, genetically. It turns out that “happiness is one of the most heritable aspects of personality. Twin studies generally show that from 50 percent to 80 percent of all the variance among people in their average levels of happiness can be explained by differences in their genes rather than in their life experiences.” This is an astounding revelation. The same way that recent research has diagnosed certain types of depression as genetically inherited, so are certain types of happiness.

The Conditions of happiness are about love and work. “We are ultra-social creatures, and we can’t be happy without having friends and secure attachments to other people.” We need loving relationships that make us feel valued. We must also have and pursue the right goals in life “in order to create states of flow and engagement.” Basically, we have to feel a sense of meaning in relationship to others and also to what we spend the bulk of our time doing—hopefully something that contributes to society in what we deem to be a meaningful way. The more loving connections with others we sustain, and the more meaningful we feel as though our work is and our contributions are, the happier we will find ourselves.

Voluntary Activities are also broken down into two categories: pleasures and gratifications. Pleasures are “delights that have clear sensory and strong emotional components” like eating great food, watching great movies, and having great sex. Gratifications are “activities that engage you fully, draw on your strengths, and allow you to lose self-consciousness.” Examples include singing in a choir or having an intense conversation with a friend. They can also be solo activities, like painting, writing, or photography, and are defined by the feeling of ‘flow,’ or total immersion in an activity.

In addition to modern scientific studies, this book also has a collection of ancient wisdom woven in with it. Haidt touches on the similar beliefs of Stoicism and Buddhism which both say that “striving for external goods, or to make the world conform to your wishes, is always a striving after wind,” and that we are better served by breaking attachments to external things and cultivating an attitude of acceptance. He espouses the importance of living a virtuous life and examines the way the Ancient Greeks “focused on the character of a person and asked what kind of person we should each aim to become,” while modern ethics “focuses on actions, asking when a particular action is right or wrong.” He explores the benefits of spirituality, religion, and transcendence, noting that “anyone who wants a full, cross-level account of human nature, and of how human beings find purpose and meaning in their lives,” must recognize that connecting with something larger than the self is an important element in all cultures.

Ultimately, happiness is not something that we can find, acquire, or achieve directly; we “have to get the conditions right and then wait.” Some conditions are within us, our Setpoint. Other Conditions require relationships to things beyond ourselves: Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger. “If you get these relationships right, a sense of purpose and meaning will emerge,” he writes. Finally, combining these with our Voluntary Activities (how we spend our remaining time) will give us the proper recipe for a happy life: Happiness = Setpoint + Conditions + Voluntary Activities.
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 22, 2017
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 19, 2023
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5.0 out of 5 stars Deep Scientific Dive to the Psychology, Sociology, and Culture of Happiness
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 19, 2023
Take-aways: Happiness isn't feeling good all the time, and it isn't the "Enlightened Buddha" approach of removing all desire and wanting. it happens somewhere in between, and you have to decide how to approach it.

You'll LOVE this book if: you like getting a deep, scientifically based perspective of the topic, and want the psychological, sociological, and cultural aspects that make up happiness.

DON'T read if: you are looking for a step by step process, or want a light read.

Reasons I love this book: Sometimes you want a "nuts and bolts" book that gives you the Three Step Process to Finding Happiness....this is NOT that book. But what Haidt does do is make you take a deep dive into what you think you know about happiness. And if you come up on the other side, you'll likely be looking at the idea of happy through a whole new lense.

Haidt begins (and continues) the book with a look into the psychology of what makes us "aware" enough to pursue happiness in the first place. Then, he brings to light an understanding of what aspects of happiness require our own self-discovery, and what we need from our external environment.

To wrap it up, he gives us a glimpse into the beginning of where we might start to look for happiness.

This book has added to my "background collection" of thoughts around my own personal pursuit of happiness, and I couldn't be happier about it.
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Top reviews from other countries

Franko
4.0 out of 5 stars The book content is amazing but the delivery..
Reviewed in Mexico 🇲🇽 on January 17, 2023
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Franko
4.0 out of 5 stars The book content is amazing but the delivery..
Reviewed in Mexico 🇲🇽 on January 17, 2023
There was a problem with the delivery, I got a few books along side this one and somehow the others where ok inside the bag but this one came with an issue.. The book content is amazing though
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Felipe C. S. Moitta
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book. My notes:
Reviewed in Brazil 🇧🇷 on February 18, 2019
2 people found this helpful
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Barnabe DUDORET
5.0 out of 5 stars A gem
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on May 30, 2023
PROMISE MDLULI
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read.
Reviewed in Japan 🇯🇵 on May 7, 2022
Cliente Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Um dos melhores livros de psicologia, ideologias e religião
Reviewed in Brazil 🇧🇷 on March 23, 2022