The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

Jonathan Haidt

Dec 2006 · Sold by Basic Books

About this ebook

The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Anxious Generation shows how a deeper understanding of the world's philosophical wisdom can enrich and transform our lives

The Happiness Hypothesis is a book about ten Great Ideas. Each chapter is an attempt to savor one idea that has been discovered by several of the world's civilizations—to question it in light of what we now know from scientific research, and to extract from it the lessons that still apply to our modern lives and illuminate the causes of human flourishing. Award-winning psychologist Jonathan Haidt shows how a deeper understanding of the world's philosophical wisdom and its enduring maxims—like "do unto others as you would have others do unto you," or "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"—can enrich and transform our lives.

Ratings and reviews

The book is very well written and discusses almost every seminal academic work known to humanity on the subject of understanding happiness. The author does a great job in covering theories in the fields of philosophy, psychology, anthropology, linguistics, computer science and neuroscience. The only part of the book I do not agree with are the solutions the author proposes for changing/altering one’s state of mind. The author suggests meditation, therapy and Prozac. I agree with meditation and therapy but I think Prozac is not an intelligent suggestion. It is more of a cop out or a form of escapism. I would substitute Prozac with proper diet and exercise. It is quite shocking to see how someone as knowledgeable as the author would propose a solution like that. Besides this one point, it is one of the best books I have read!

Near the end it can lull a little bit. However most of this book takes psychology research and spins it for the average consumer. Makes these things easy to read and enjoyable

This books helps me understand NOTHING!!!! This book only talks about white wisdom, NOT BLACK WISDOM. I would NEVER RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANY BLACK PERSON. I MEAN IT!!! If you are a black person DON'T READ THIS!!!! this is bott that is all iam saying to you.

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 three New York Times bestsellers: The Righteous Mind, The Coddling of the American Mind, and, most recently, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. He lives in New York.