The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom [S0035]

2006 PB in nice clean condition. In his widely praised book, award-winning psychologist Jonathan Haidt shows how a deeper understanding of the world’s philosophical wisdom can enrich and transform our lives. “Wonderfully smart and readable.” —Washington Post. In The Happiness Hypothesis, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt skillfully combines philosophical wisdom and scientific research to explore ten “Great Ideas” that have been discovered by several of the world’s civilizations. In each chapter, Haidt questions a Great Idea in light of what we now know, and extracts from it the lessons that still apply to our modern lives, thereby illuminating the causes of human flourishing.

From Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Where this book is particularly good is in challenging the movement we have towards working longer hours, which seems to have taken over our lives. He points out that people are at their happiest when they are with family and friends, and yet our endless pursuit of wealth and career success takes us away from those we love the most and also where we are most happy."

"Lots of great pearls from ancient philosophical and religious traditions as well as modern science… very interesting approach."

"This book gave me great insights on how our mind works. It's a great combination of scientific research, philosophy and psychology of today, diving deep to figure out what really makes us happy. I highly recommended reading this book."

"I appreciated the objective way in which the author, an atheist and liberal, explored the many different aspects of human happiness. I especially enjoyed that his exploration ultimately acknowledged the significant role that religion and moral systems can play in human happiness, despite his own personal beliefs. While I didn’t agree with every aspect of his interpretations or conclusions, I appreciated the way the book challenged me to think more deeply about why humans are happy, what gives our lives meaning, and the systems we use to navigate life. An interesting and worthwhile read."