The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want

The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want | Sonja Lyubomirsky | The How of Happiness

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	The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want Sonja Lyubomirsky Penguin Press HC, The, 2007 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 43 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Finally some scientific research on happiness

I was recently given this book from a friend as I have suffered from moderate depression off and on for 30 years. I found it very compelling regards to the thoughts on happiness in regards to genetics, life circumstances and ones ability to influence happiness through working on it in a cognitive way. I did not really get hung up here as a previous poster on if 50% is genetics, 10% circumstances and the remaining 40% is knowledge and work ethic. It it not important if those are the actual percentages to me, what is important is I think the author has hit on what is really going on, that we are genitically predisposed in a way to being a certain way on the happiness scale, probably a pretty significant percentage. Added to that the life circumstances, a much smaller percentage to make up that total percentage that we can not control but now at least recognize. As someone who has suffered depression, it is very plain to me to see that part of the problem has been my genetic makeup added with the slings and arrows I have suffered like anyone else that make me react somewhat more emotionally and negatively than most. It's that reaction from the genetics and my circumstances that lead to the spiral down into depression that is like a funnel with the ruminative thinking. I found in this last part of working on what one can control, the 40% is where the secret is overcoming depression as well as becoming happier. There are excellent strategies for becoming happier that although take work and self discipline do actually work for me. I put this book right along The Mindful Way through Depression by Jon Kabat-Zinn and the work by Marsha Linnehan with DBT cognitive therapy which has helped me greatly to stop the negative thoughts as well as live more mindfully in the present. Many of the strategies in this book mirror living mindfully in the present, eliminating the social comparisons, radically accepting life circumstances and moving on with problem solving strategies instead of ruminating in the negative thoughts that keep us stuck. The message for me was by eliminating the rumination of why I am the way I am gentically and not spending too much time focusing on circumstances like the new plasma TV happiness is slight and short lived as well as the loss of my retriever will eventually be short lived and slight as well if I just focus on the 40% I can actively make me feel more alive and connected to my friends, family and goals that really matter to me!

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The How of Happiness

Sonja Lyubomirsky's THE HOW OF HAPPINESS, A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want, should satisfy all those people who have difficulty embracing today's self-help/control-your-destiny tools, like The Secret, visualization boards, crystals and herbs, and other faith-based practices. Fully armed with graphs, case studies, research results, self-tests and reading guides, Lyubomirsky sets about busting myths about happiness, such as it has to be "found" or it lies in the changing of our circumstances. Written in a down-to-earth manner with plenty of anecdotes from the author's life, this book has just the right amount of self-enhancement and scientific evidence. And she offers 12 Happiness Activities and steps to obtain and sustain them.

THE HOW OF HAPPINESS is a fascinating read and you don't have to constantly test its validity - that's already been done. Lyubomirsky contends we are in control of approximately 40% of our happiness. I don't know about you, but I can (happily) live with those statistics.

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Academic, Fun and Inspiring

As I read Sonja Lyubonirsky's book I had the urge to write her to thank her for writing it. She is a well respected researcher in Positive Psychology who has the ability to make research simple to understand, while maintaining high academic standards. She offers concrete and stimulating activities to do to increase our happiness with a vast array of references to support their usefulness. Her voice as an author feels genuine and personal and she transmits the passion she has for her work. Her descriptions of her lab and her studies made me want to be a part of her research team!

Margarita Tarragona

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Great book for all categories of people

I'm reading this book together with my family and it is really a great source of encouragement. There are many practical applications included. I look forward to seeing where reading this book will take me six months from now.

Not Another Feel Good Book

Glad this is not another one of those "feel good" books. This book has practical and scientifically based approaches to Happiness which is very useful. I'm also reading Saturday Night Crisis Lines Saturday Night Crisis Lines by Robert Harrison, true accounts of crisis volunteerism manning the hotlines of a big city crisis center. These callers certainly would benefit from the happiness recipes in How of Happiness.

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