The Happiness Hypothesis

The Happiness Hypothesis by Dr. Jonathan Haidt is fantastic. Haidt is an associate professor at the University of Virginia and is turning out some interesting material. I’m considering adding the book to a course I teach called Building Family Strengths as it applies in numerous ways. He grounds his observations in research and creates an educational romp through such topics as the paradox of abundance, confabulations, the pain of loosing over that of winning, the gap between action and perception, how to change your mind, and finding your inner lawyer. Intrigued?

It’s premature that I write this as I’m only halfway through the short book but I’m really stimulated by his writing. I am equally stimulated, impressed, and intimidated by Dr. Haidt’s publication record. Its direction is focused and clear. I can learn something about focus here. Did I mention how prolific he is? Check out his academic homepage.

I first saw Haidt on the Today Show and was intrigued by this articulate demeanor. He also convinced me, in a very short interview, that the HH book was more than pop psychology. It's not a "self-help" book. I put the book on my Amazon.com wish list and left it at that. I may never have ordered it but it arrived on our doorstep nonetheless. Oddly enough my wife had ordered it for herself. We had never discussed the book but seemed to be on the same happy page. I snatched it up but should get serious about finishing this thing as she knocked off another book tonight and is eyeballing the Happiness Hypothesis.

At this point I don’t intend to write a review (although I snuck in a ringing endorsement). You can read what others, who have finished the book, have written. It's worth stopping by the book's web page because it generously offers a couple chapters, PDFs of other writing including research articles, and more. I feel very comfortable in recommending this book.