The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

by Jonathan Haidt

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465028023
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	12/26/2006
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	29,215
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

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.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Too Much Wisdom     ix
The Divided Self     1
Changing Your Mind     23
Reciprocity with a Vengeance     45
The Faults of Others     59
The Pursuit of Happiness     81
Love and Attachments     107
The Uses of Adversity     135
The Felicity of Virtue     155
Divinity With or Without God     181
Happiness Comes from Between     213
Conclusion: On Balance     241
Acknowledgments     245
Notes     247
References     265
Index     291

Editorial Reviews

"The Happiness Hypothesis is a wonderful and nuanced book that provides deep insight into the some of the most important questions in life — Why are we here? What kind of life should we lead? What paths lead to happiness? From the ancient philosophers to cutting edge scientists, Haidt weaves a tapestry of the best and the brightest. His highly original work on elevation and awe — two long-neglected emotions — adds a new weave to that tapestry. A truly inspiring book."

—David M. Buss, author of The Evolution of Desire

"In this beautifully written book, Jonathan Haidt shows us the deep connection that exists between cutting-edge psychological research and the wisdom of the ancients. It is inspiring to see how much modern psychology informs life's most central and persistent questions."

—Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice

"In our quest for happiness, we must find a balance between modern science and ancient wisdom, between East and West, and between 'left brain' and 'right brain.' Haidt has struck that balance perfectly, and in doing so has given us the most brilliant and lucid analysis of virtue and well-being in the entire literature of positive psychology. For the reader who seeks to understand happiness, my advice is: Begin with Haidt."

—Martin E.P. Seligman, Director, Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Authentic Happiness

"Haidt is a fine guide on this journey between past and present, discussing the current complexities of psychological theory with clarity and humor. . . Haidt's is an open-minded, robust look at philosophy, psychological fact and spiritual mystery, of scientific rationalism and the unknowable ephemeral — an honest inquiry that concludes that the best life is, perhaps, one lived in the balance of opposites." 

—Bookpage

From the Publisher