Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile

by Daniel Nettle

Book Overview

In a world obsessed by happiness, this is the first book to look thoroughly at what happiness is and how it works. Bringing together the latest insights from psychiatry, psychology, and philosophy, Daniel Nettle sheds brilliant light on this most basic of human desires.
Nettle examines whether people are basically happy or unhappy, whether success can make us happy, what sort of remedies to unhappiness work, why some people are happier than others,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192805584
• ISBN13: 9780192805584
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.9" x 4.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Overview of an Interdisciplinary Subject

This book delves between Economics, Psychology, Neuroscience and Evolutionary Biology to try and survey our general understanding of human happiness, and discuss the major ways in which happiness can be measured. Nettle does a good job of moving quickly from topic to topic, summing up the necessary data without going into too much detail in any particular place. This book is not an in-depth study in and of itself, but provides a good starting point for people interested in learning more. (It ends with a "Further Reading" section which suggests the book's purpose is exactly that.) The one major criticism I have of the book is that there are some places (just a few!) where Nettle proves unable to resist the temptation to insert his own theories and explanations without very much supporting evidence. He seems particularly keen to dismiss external conditions as strongly affecting happiness, in favor of his theory that "neuroticism" is responsible for the greatest differences. He also puts forth that the increased happiness found in married individuals is probably mostly temporary, and a large spike in happiness for newlyweds may be driving the average up. While there is nothing wrong with either hypothesis *as such*, he does little to make these cases, and they're put forth fairly prominently. Still, this is a minor criticism. For the range of topics it covers, and its relatively short length, this book contains a wealth of information and ideas for further places to study happiness.

Seven Stars

I love happiness books and this one might just be my favorite yet. I was so impressed that after reading I bought another of the authors books,"Personality", which I haven't read yet. The thing that I liked best was the practicality of the book. He doesn't try to sell you anything or offer instant easy answers. He gives you the facts based on studies, and then translates the likely meanings of the findings. For example, happiness is not the goal. Happiness is the reward. And he points out that satisfaction is likely more achievable, and likely more desirable than simply feeling happy (i.e., pleasure). It's not a short book but I read the entire thing in about three hours in one night because it's packed with great insight. Sarah Shikitao-Brown, Tao Cycle Therapy: Natural Happiness via Self-Directed Cure for Chronic Anxiety & Depression

A beautifully written book

I have become interested in the modern theory and science of happiness, books such as The Geography of Bliss, Happiness: A History and Satisfaction. Nettle's contribution is a gem of literary precision: short, sharp, clear, wise, well-informed and funny. You can read it for the pleasure of the language alone, or just for the congent summary of the science. If you enjoy both, this will be one of your favorite books.

Excellent! Fun to read and illuminating at once.

This hand sized paperback by Daniel Nettle has it all: wisdom, wit, useful information, philosophical discourse, groundbraking psychology and, good old common sense. The subject is happiness (of course) and, from the very beginning of the book, some myths and misconceptions are challenged and dispelled and, taking their place appear the well reasoned arguments and conclusions from the author. If you enjoy a brilliant mind at work this book is for you.

This book will make you smarter about happiness

Wow - it's wonderful to read a book based on research instead of opinions and hopes. Daniel Nettle combs through the newest findings on emotion to help us focus on workable, sane, and ultimately useful ways to approach happiness and unhapiness. Did you know that happiness is fleeting for important evolutionary reasons? If a primate were to swoon over the happiness of finding shelter or food for too long, he or she might become so addle-pated as to miss a warning of impending danger. So, trying to stay happy all the time is actually a pretty stupid idea, and the brain won't go for it. Similarly, the urges of wanting something and liking something are separated for important survival reasons. You could see a beautiful fruit and desire it, but upon tasting and smelling it, you could find that you don't like it at all. It's important to separate wanting and liking, then, in the modern brain. We think we LIKE money, status, and competing (ooh, shiny!), but in fact, we may only just WANT them, and when we get them, we may find that they taste and smell and feel unpleasant. The focus, then, is to separate what we think we want from what actually makes us happy, and focus on the happiness -- not simply the desires. Kinda Buddhist, but without all the rules. Another extremely helpful and relieving thing is to understand that "negative" emotional states like anxiety, anger, hypervigilance, and shame were supposed to be hyperactivated in humans. The things that alarm or hurt us are much more important to our survival (they can kill or endanger us very quickly) than liking things is. So "negative" emotional states tend to hang around. It's better to be hypervigilant, evolutionarily speaking, than it is to be all happy-go-lucky (and dead). So modern people need to understand their brains, and work with their intellect and compassion to calm the emotional signals that can sometimes cause suffering. It's not about ignoring your emotions or feigning joy or some such nonsense - it's about becoming a fully functioning, rational being in relation to your emotions and what really makes you happy. Thank you Daniel Nettle. I am now much clearer about my emotions, and happier (in a calm and rational way) than I have been for decades. Good on you!