Answer:The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky is the most complete book on the science of happiness and wellbeing I’ve ever read.
Its premise is simple: We all want to be happier, but few of us know how to go about improving our happiness.
Well, this book changes that. Using sound scientific research, it shows you exactly how to go about raising your levels of happiness.
The book essentially does three things: 1) It explains how happiness works. 2) It explains why happiness matters. 3) It outlines 12 science-backed activities for becoming happier.
If you’re new to Positive Psychology—the science of well-being and flourishing—this book is where to start.
Who is The How of Happiness for?
Anyone interested in becoming happier.
Anyone interested in a scientific approach to happiness and flourishing.
Anyone looking to improve their life.
1. We All Want Happiness… But We’re Looking in the Wrong Places
“In almost every nation—from the United States, Greece and Slovenia to South Korea, Argentina and Bahrain—when asked what they want most in life, people put happiness at the top of their lists.”
“What do you think would make you happier? Take a moment to consider. Might it be:
A relationship?
More flexibility at work?
A new job that better provides for you and your family?
An extra bedroom?
A more attentive spouse?
A baby?
Looking younger?
Relief from your bad back?
Losing weight?
Your child excelling at school?
Knowing what you really want to do with your life?
More supportive, loving parents?
Cure from a chronic illness or disability?
More money?
More time?
If your answers look anything like these, all of which friends have confided to me over the years, you’re in for a surprise. None of these things will make you substantially happier. But this doesn’t mean that the goal of finding lasting happiness is unrealistic or naïve. The catch is that we tend to look for happiness in the wrong places. What we believe would make a huge difference in our lives actually—scientific research shows—makes only a small difference, while we overlook the true sources of personal happiness and well-being.”
That’s where most of us find ourselves: We want happiness… but we have no clue how happiness works.
Happiness is literally the number one goal for most people in life. It’s what we’re chasing all of our lives. Yet do we ever question whether our assumptions about happiness are correct? Do we ever stop and dare to figure out happiness really works?
That’s why Positive Psychology and the science of happiness is so important. It shows us what really makes us happy and what doesn’t. Knowing that, we can finally create our lives in ways that are optimized for happiness.
2. The Pie-Chart Theory of Happiness
“The result of our discussions over the next few years was a discovery about the causes of well-being. Together, we were essentially able to identify the most important factors determining happiness, represented in the following simple pie chart.”
So, the pie-chart theory shows us how happiness really works: Your level of happiness is determined by your genetic set-point (accounting for 50% of the variance in happiness), external circumstances (10%), and intentional activity (40%).
Explanation:
