EDITED PREAMBLE: It's been 13 years since this review and somehow it continues to be a popular introduction. Given the change in Haidt's trajectory from psychologist to pop-political and cultural commentator, this makes me a bit uncomfortable. Similar to Steven Pinker, Haidt has diverged from his area of study to become a public intellectual, pontificating confidently on on all of what ails contemporary society (mostly college kids who boo his friends at Yale). This is somewhat ironic as it's in...

I could probably give this book two stars if I hadn't just got my fill of evo-psy smarm from Steven Pinker. Haidt's got the same penchant to 1) explain away the cultural status quo as a natural consequence of biological human nature; 2) present all of his ideas as scientific consensus, when there are very few non-controversial conclusions in positive psychology (it's fine for him to stick with his theory, but his disinterest in bringing up these disagreements leaves me very distrustful of him);

As I was reading the first few chapters, I put this book on my “to buy” list, but my enthusiasm ebbed as I finished the book, and my natural inclination not to buy books I never expect to re-read has taken over.But it’s still a book I think I can recommend: it has plenty of interesting and thoughtful points to make, a few that are confusing and disconcerting, as well as some advice towards the front of the book.The early chapters have a bit of a “self-help” feel that dissipates further into the

First of all there is a tone to this book that I thought from the beginning was really going to be a problem for me. I guess that is the tone of self-help books. All the same, this book was much more interesting and much more challenging (at least, to me) than most other self-help books I’ve read. I actually found parts of this book quite confronting.The parts of this book that I liked the most were those where he was discussing his elephant and rider metaphor. Essentially, he believes that we a...

If you are in passionate love and want to celebrate your passion, read poetry. If your ardor has calmed and you want to understand your evolving relationship, read psychology. But if you have just ended a relationship and would like to believe you are better off without love, read philosophy. and if you are unsure about what category falls for you, just read this book! :D

If you read The Happiness Hypothesis after Haidt’s The Righteous Mind, then I think you are bound to be a little disappointed. Whereas the latter is informative, original, and at times challenging, this book waters down Haidt’s genuine insight with a good deal of pop psychology and self-help.According to Haidt, science has finally revealed how to be happy. All of the following factors are likely to boost happiness: enough money, ample free time, short commutes, a loving family, and meaningful wo...

My pop-psychology bingo card was full by like page 30 . . . did you know that humans are most comfortable with a social circle of 150 people? Did you know that children who can resist stealing a cookie have better self-control later in life? Did you know that we have two 'minds' that are often in conflict with each other? Did you know that half-assed evolutionary psychology just-so stories can be presented as a plausible explanation for absolutely anything? Well, if you've read Kahneman or Gilbe...

If I hadn't read Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow, first, I may not have been able to get into The Happiness Hypothesis. Although they mine some of the same territory, The Happiness Hypothesis is an ordinary book. Kahneman's book, on the other hand, is a land mine. I think he wrote it using the knowledge that was his subject matter, giving it its penetrating power. Haidt, on the other hand, comes across as attempting to "convert" the reader, which can set up some resistance. Also, while...

The short conclusion at the end of this book was really good. I wish the rest of the book stuck to the author's concise summary a little bit better. In some of Haidt's best advice within the whole book he says, "Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger." He adds, "You have to get the conditions right, and then wait." There are a lot of other good insights in the book, but I find them to be burried in piles of other not

Finished reading this last night. Two things first - 1) the book is not really about ancient wisdom. It's primarily about current research/thinking in the field of Psychology on emotional happiness. 2) The first third of the book is among the most depressing things I have ever read. The book starts by focusing on the view that humans have virtually no control over our own ability to be happy (or miserable). It's genetic - we are born with an innate predisposition towards personal happiness or mi...

This book starts off as great. It neatly draws from the ancient philosophy and extrapolates the relevance of ancient wisdom to modern life. For example, the elephant-rider analogy, for which it gets one star. But somewhere in the middle, it loses itself in theological arguments. The scope of the book is so broad that the title becomes misleading. The book gets another star for the valuable insights into human psychology, morality and life in general that lie interspersed in between elaborate dig...

This book is about the top ten theories of modern research on happiness. Each chapter of the book is an attempt to get acquainted with a theory that has been discovered by a number of world civilizations. Also, with the information we have gained from scientific research today, this book critiques these theories in parts. The author also tries to draw lessons from these theories that are still applicable in our lives today.

You've heard of every single study in this book--marshmallows, monkeys and moms, etc. But Haidt's book is one of the best in this genre--he mixes modern psychological research (which I think by itself does not lend to a coherent worldview though many have tried to weave one) with some ancient ideas as well as some evolutionary truths. The point of this book, as he says, is not to tell you the meaning of life (why are we here, where do we go, etc), but how to have a meaningful (or happy) life. He...

I’ve often marveled at how seemingly rational people can forgo reason when engaged in public debate over a land use issue. A few years back I was involved in a community meeting about a new village scale project being proposed for the center of a small Vermont town. Even faced with a plethora of facts, figures and testimonials to the contrary, many people held fast to their belief that the project—designed to mimic the design and spacing of the clustered houses already in the village center—woul...

5 star, pure wisdom! 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, if someone would say that I had only 3 books to pick for them this would be one of them. If you're wondering about the reasons for our seemingly never-ending pursuit of happiness and meaning "The Happiness Hypothesis" will give you very solid an...

Above all expectations. Don't let the cover fool you (it's a bit new-agey). This is a real science, hard psychology and lots of intelligence, common sense and depth in between. Ok, maybe the cover isn't that bad :) And it's not even all about happiness. I'd say it's a lot wider than that.

“Do people have a tendency to dump on you?Does your group have more cavities than theirs?Do all the hippies seem to get the jump on you?Do you sleep alone when others sleep in pairs?Well there’s no need to complainWe’ll eliminate your painWe can neutralize your brainYou’ll feel just fineNowBuy a big bright green pleasure machine!Do figures of authority just shoot you down?Is life within the business world a drag?Did your boss just mention that you’d better shop aroundTo find yourself a more pro

I was recommended this book by a friend. Going in, I was skeptical - the premise sounded like some sort of self-help hand wavy junk. When I realized the ambition of the book, I got much more interested. To me, the concept seemed great: "here's an ancient theory on life from an important philosopher, here's some modern science that provides empirical evidence for this theory so it seems they were correct and we should follow his / her advice." However, I think this book may have reached too far a...

I loved Haidt's most recent book, "The righteous mind". This one (written years earlier) contains a lot of fascinating insights, but it seemed to me a little weaker. While "Righteous mind" examines the origins of morality, "Happiness" goes through some studies of happiness that I have already found or heard elsewhere, and it draws pertinent links with some ancient wisdom. According to Haidt, the ones among us who have lost at the "cortex lottery" and are therefore less naturally prone to be happ...

Using psychology, philosophy, theology*, and some biology, Jonathan Haidt digs into what brings true happiness and how we define it. I like how intellectually engaging this book was. Most of the studies, philosophies, and ideas he presents should be familiar to anyone who keeps up with the topics. However, I've never seen them combined like this. It really is about "modern truth" born from "ancient wisdom." Now, while I found this book engaging, I did not agree with all of it. This is pretty und...

And thus we move, logically, to The Happiness Hypothesis. Ben Tanaka, main character of Shortcomings, could use The Happiness Hypothesis. Ginger Pye and the rest of the Pye family apparently intuitively knew The Happiness Hypothesis. Haidt looks at ancient wisdom and compares it to the result of the new science of positive psychology. Some of the things I learned from this book:*Reciprocity is the best guide to life. This is the classic “Do unto others” thought. *There are three effective ways t...

solid connections between history, philosophy, and psychology, bringing up interesting ideas about the utility (to put it clinically) of adversity—the book was more than a little self-absorbed, however.

I've been slogging away at this book for nearly a month, which is unusual for me. Usually, if I stall on a book (as I did with three other books I started reading over the month of February), I simply put it down with a note that it's been partially read. But The Happiness Hypothesis was so compelling that I kept coming back after putting it down and letting my mind digest the material. It's a book that's designed to be read slowly.I discovered this book through Switch, by Chip and Dan Heath, wh...

Jonathan Haidt’s The Happiness Hypothesis bears the subtitle Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. Executives at Basic Books no doubt felt that this was a little too lofty and academic sounding for the average Indigo-browsing reader of pop-psychology, because the book also bears the second, much sexier subtitle Why the Meaningful Life is Closer Than You Think. Each of these three titles seems to point in a somewhat different direction. But whether wittingly or unwittingly, this veritable schiz...

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."~ William Shakespeare.The Happiness Hypothesis was an excellent book. The above quote plays a central theme in the author's writing.Author Jonathan David Haidt is an American social psychologist, Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School of Business, and author. His main areas of study are the psychology of morality and moral emotions. Jonathan Haidt: Haidt opens the book with a great intro, setting t...

Don’t be put off by the title! It sounds wishy-washy, but it’s not. Haidt’s claims are specific and empirical, and are backed-up with citations to published studies. The Happiness Hypothesis serves two functions: (1) it’s a psychology professor’s introduction to his chosen subfield (“positive psychology”), which aims to help people “find happiness and meaning” (Kindle Loc. 132); and (2) it explores the continued applicability of (mostly ancient and/or religious) philosophical and moral ideas, in...

I was a big fan of self-help books in my early 20ies and dropped them fast for they tend to be far from relating topics to any scientific reference of proof (that I tend to admire) and simply axiomatizing without any scientific reference. This book based on my experience, I initially looked at skeptically, is definitely a turnaround. For the first time, I feel like ”happiness has a scientific background in it”.

This might easily be the best book I have ever read. There's no other author I identify myself with more than Jonathan Haidt.

This book is probably the most thought-provoking book that I've read in a couple of years.That leaves me feeling like I should justify the four-star rating (instead of five) I'm giving it. I have two basic issues with the book, one of which may actually come down to a difference of philosophy with Haidt generally, that preclude the five-star rating I would give it based on the quality of writing, organization of presentation (which is like sitting through well-organized college-level lectures),

I love this book. I truly do! It is a combination of the three subjects I think about most: psychology, philosophy, and religion. In the Happiness Hypothesis the (humble) author brings together theories of the past, the theories of religion, and updates them with understandings from psychology. In many ways, he either adjusts traditional thinking with science or he validates traditional thinking with science. It is an excellent approach that must have taken the author a long time to put together...