The Happiness Advantage
by Shawn Achor
Achor's argument from positive psychology is that happiness fuels success rather than following it, and he offers seven principles with practical exercises: gratitude lists, exercise, meditation, the twenty-second rule for habit change, social investment. It is upbeat, well-sourced and short enough to act on.
Read it if…
you are postponing happiness until you succeed and have noticed the goalposts moving.
Skip it if…
you want a deep treatment of the research; this is popular and brisk.
Three things you will actually use
- Train the brain to scan for positives.
- Reduce activation energy for good habits by twenty seconds.
- Invest in relationships under stress rather than withdrawing.
Do this first
Write three new things you are grateful for every day for twenty-one days.
Our verdict
Cheerful and practical; a good introduction to positive psychology.
Compare with other Mindset books
Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell · Mindset
Engaging and oversimplified; worth reading for the perspective.
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Drive
Daniel H. Pink · Mindset
Clear and influential; the standard introduction to intrinsic motivation.
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