Popular Books
by Michael B. Frisch
This book explains the "Sweet 16" Recipe for Joy and Success, along with validated interventions for each:
1. Basic Needs or Wealths: Health, Money, Goals-and-Values/Spiritual Life, Self-Esteem
2. Relationships: Love, Friends, Relatives, and Children
3. Occupations-Avocations: Work and Retirement Pursuits, Play, Helping-Service, Learning, Creativity
4. Surroundings: Home, Neighborhood, Community
by Daniel Haybron
The pursuit of happiness is a defining theme of the modern era. But what if people aren't very good at it? This and related questions are explored in this book, the first comprehensive philosophical treatment of happiness in the contemporary psychological sense. In these pages, Dan Haybron argues that people are probably less effective at judging, and promoting, their own welfare than common belief has it. For the psychological dimensions of well-being, particularly our emotional lives, are far richer and more complex than we tend to realize. Knowing one's own interests is no trivial matter. As well, we tend to make a variety of systematic errors in the pursuit of happiness. We may need, then, to rethink traditional assumptions about human nature, the good life, and the good society. Thoroughly engaged with both philosophical and scientific work on happiness and well-being, this book will be a definitive resource for philosophers, social scientists, policymakers, and other students of human well-being.
by David G. Myers
Social psychologist David G. Myers has reviewed thousands of recent scientific studies conducted worldwide in search of the key to happiness. With wit and wisdom, he explodes some of the popular myths on the subject and presents specific techniques for finding true joy in living:
- Are most people happy?
- What are the inner traits of happy people?
- Are extroverts happier than introverts?
- Are men happier than women?
- Does religious faith promote inner peace and joy?
- Does well-being come with being well-off?
- Are happy children more likely to become happy adults?
- What part do friends play in personal happiness?
- Is age a factor in feeling happy?
- What can you do to improve your own sense of well-being?
- and much more
by Christopher Peterson
In Pursuing the Good Life, one of the founders of positive psychology, Christopher Peterson, offers one hundred bite-sized reflections exploring the many sides of this exciting new field. With the humor, warmth, and wisdom that has made him an award-winning teacher, Peterson takes readers on a lively tour of the sunny side of the psychological street. What are the roles played by positive emotions and happiness, by strengths of character, by optimism, and by good relationships with others? How can we pursue the good life in families, workplaces, schools, and sports, no matter who we are or where we live? With titles such as "You May Now Kiss the Bride--And Would You Like Fries With That?" and "How Can You Tell If Someone from France is Happy?" Peterson good-humoredly explores these questions and many others, including such diverse topics as the difference between employment and work, the value of doing the right thing, and why books matter, among other subjects.
by Martin Bolt
By using the scientific method in its efforts to assess, understand, and then build human strengths, positive psychology balances the investigation of weakness and damage with a study of strength and virtue. Pursuing Human Strengths: A Positive Psychology Guide gives instructors and students alike the means to learn more about this relevant approach to psychology. Martin Bolt helps students learn more about themselves as they learn the facts of, and theories about, the fascinating field of psychology. This book is a terrific accompaniment to virtually any psychology course (most notably, human adjustment and growth, introductory psychology, and abnormal psychology). For those teaching a course in positive psychology, Pursuing Human Strengths provides a primary text.
by Michael Argyle
What is happiness? Why are some people happier than others?
This new edition of The Psychology of Happiness provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of research into the nature of happiness. Major research developments have occurred since publication of the first edition in 1987 – here they are brought together for the first time, often with surprising conclusions.
by Gregg Easterbrook
The Progress Paradox, Gregg Easterbrook draws upon three decades of wide-ranging research and thinking to make the persuasive assertion that almost all aspects of Western life have vastly improved in the past century--and yet today, most men and women feel less happy than in previous generations. Why this is so and what we should do about it is the subject of this book.
by Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe
In their provocative new book, Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe explore the insights essential to leading satisfying lives. Encouraging individuals to focus on their own personal intelligence and integrity rather than simply navigating the rules and incentives established by others, Practical Wisdom outlines how to identify and cultivate our own innate wisdom in our daily lives.
by Charles Duhigg
At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive, building revolutionary companies and social movements, and achieving success is understanding how habits work.
by Barbara Fredrickson
World renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson gives you the lab-tested tools necessary to create a healthier, more vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls "the upward spiral."
