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Stumbling on Happiness (平装)
by Daniel Gilbert
| Category:
Science of happiness, Imagination, Human mind, Nonfiction |
| Market price: ¥ 158.00
MSL price:
¥ 138.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Cleverly written, light and humorous, Dan gives us a fascinating look into the motivation behind our every-day behaior and "explains" some of the quirks we see in ourselves and others. |
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AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 11 items |
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Publishers Weekly (MSL quote), USA
<2007-08-12 00:00>
Not offering a self-help book, but instead mounting a scientific explanation of the limitations of the human imagination and how it steers us wrong in our search for happiness, Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard, draws on psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy and behavioral economics to argue that, just as we err in remembering the past, so we err in imagining the future. "Our desire to control is so powerful, and the feeling of being in control so rewarding, that people often act as though they can control the uncontrollable," Gilbert writes, as he reveals how ill-equipped we are to properly preview the future, let alone control it. Unfortunately, he claims, neither personal experience nor cultural wisdom compensates for imagination's shortcomings. In concluding chapters, he discusses the transmission of inaccurate beliefs from one person's mind to another, providing salient examples of universal assumptions about human happiness such as the joys of money and of having children. He concludes with the provocative recommendation that, rather than imagination, we should rely on others as surrogates for our future experience. Gilbert's playful tone and use of commonplace examples render a potentially academic topic accessible and educational, even if his approach is at times overly prescriptive. |
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Steven D. Levitt (Author of Freakonomics, MSL quote), USA
<2007-08-12 00:00>
Think you know what makes you happy? This absolutely fantastic book that will shatter your most deeply held convictions about how your own mind works.
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Malcolm Gladwell (Author of Blink and The Tipping Point), USA
<2007-08-12 00:00>
A psychological detective story about one of the great mysteries of our lives... You ought to read it. Trust me.
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Time (MSL quote), USA
<2007-08-12 00:00>
A fascinating new book that explores our sometimes misguided attempts to find happiness. |
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James Pressley (Bloomberg News, MSL quote) , USA
<2007-08-12 00:00>
Gilbert’s book has no subtitle, allowing you to invent your own. I’d call it ‘The Only Truly Useful Book on Psychology I’ve Ever Read.
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Rolf Dobelli (MSL quote), Switzerland
<2007-08-12 00:00>
You, like most people, have probably made poor decisions regarding the future. For proof of human folly, you have only to look at the large number of divorces, jobs walked away from, failed start-up businesses and attics filled with junk someone "had to buy." Families regret their goofy vacations - then take the same awful trips the following year. And the observers who ask, "What could they possibly have been thinking?" make the same sorts of mistakes in their own lives. As a Yiddish proverb says, "Mann tracht und Gott lacht" - "Man plans and God laughs." So what's going on? Why are people such poor prognosticators? Psychologist Daniel Gilbert explains, with great wit, that the human imagination, along with the other cognitive abilities people use to forecast happiness, are fatally flawed. Based on extensive psychological research, his book posits that, regarding life's future milestones, most people would do better asking someone else what to do rather than making their own decisions. We recommend this book to managers responsible for planning strategy and tactics, and to anyone else who wonders why he or she so often gets it totally wrong. |
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Marshall Glickman (MSL quote), USA
<2007-08-12 00:00>
I'm not one of those people that casually throws the B-word around, using it to describe anyone who's got a few more insights and talents than I have. But Daniel Gilbert [DG] deserves to be called at least quasi-brilliant for his dazzling performance in Stumbling on Happiness. The book is interesting, entertaining, and damn funny. Yes, occasionally - as some other reviewers have pointed out - Gilbert gets a tad bit repetitive and yes, occasionally his barrage of jokes seems a little manic. But come on people (yes, said with fists on hips)! It's no small feat to turn a bunch of scientific research projects into something with life, structure and depth. Gilbert writes with a joie de vivre and focus on the not-so-obvious that is engaging and draws readers in so we happily absorb what is largely counter-intuitive material. With other hands at the keyboard, this could so easily be dry stuff.
It also seems some readers were disappointed that Gilbert doesn't tell us, "here's how to be happy." But, a quick reading of the introduction tell us he's not going to do that. And it's worth noting that the title is Stumbling ON Happiness, not Stumbling TO or TOWARD... As DG shows, to a large degree, it's our misguided efforts to create happiness that does indeed cause us to stumble and be less happy.
For those who are interested in Stumbling TOWARD Happiness and have a scientific bent, may I immodestly suggest a book I wrote: Beyond the Breath: Extraordinary Mindfulness Through Full-Body Vipassana Meditation (Tuttle Publishing). Please do not even consider it, if you're not open to Buddhism and meditation, as then it will bring you greater UNhappiness and me bad karma. But if you'd like to know more about an ancient, but still completely relevant path to find greater well-being, Beyond the Breath will likely be of interest. In a simple, yet sophisticated (and one hopes engaging) way Beyond the Breath explains the why and how of a particularly effective method of meditation (and I've spent many years trying different types of meditation). It also explains the important role moral discipline plays in our own happiness. The book often cites scientific research to help bring greater clarity to aspects of meditation or Buddhism that may be counter-intuitive or difficult to understand.
For example, In Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert touches on how we get tripped up by the pleasure/pain principle which drives so much of our actions and thoughts. In Beyond the Breath, a closer look at our body's endogenous chemicals such as dopamine and endorphins, helps explain why we so often act like addicts - and what we can do to skillfully work with those counterproductive impulses.
Another recommendation that compliments Stumbling on Happiness is Timothy Wilson's Strangers to Ourselves, which explains why it's so difficult for us to have accurate self insight. I read Strangers to Ourselves a couple years ago and noticed Daniel Gilbert, gives a warm nod to Wilson in his acknowledgments. While the book is not as entertaining as Gilbert's, I'm sure anyone who liked Stumbling on Happiness will find it worthwhile. Like Gilbert, Wilson gives little in the way of recommendations for finding greater happiness (these guys are scientists, not spiritual seekers), so - conveniently - you'd still want to read Beyond the Breath.
If you do try Beyond the Breath on my recommendation and don't agree that it was worth your time, please e-mail me at marshall[at]greenlivingbooks[dot]net for a full refund. Even, though I'm not the publisher, I'd hate to have someone read it, especially on my recommendation, and not like and benefit from it. So I'd happily reimburse you if that were the case - really. Though obviously, my interest in having you read Beyond the Breath is motivated by some vanity and greed (I'm not a total stranger to myself), it's at least equally (and let's hope lots more) coming from a genuine wish to introduce others to something I've found very helpful for my own happiness. So if I've failed in my attempt to share the happiness wealth, I'd be happy to compensate with real dollars. |
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Beth Cholette (MSL quote), USA
<2007-08-12 00:00>
I'm certainly happy to have stumbled across this book by fellow psychologist Daniel Gilbert. Although it was not what I expected, I can't blame the author for that: in his Forward, Gilbert quickly disabuses readers of any pre-conceived notions by pointing out that his book is NOT "an instruction manual that will tell you anything useful about how to be happy." No? Well, okay, I admit that this left me feeling a bit disappointed, but I kept reading anyway, and soon Gilbert had me laughing aloud (so much so that I had to explain myself to the stranger seated next to me on a plane). I'm not at all sorry that I chose to read this book, and if you want to learn more about why humans struggle so much with happiness, you won't be either.
So, if this book isn't a happiness self-help manual, what is it? For one thing, it is an extremely thorough review of the science behind why human beings are so utterly unable to predict what will bring them pleasure in the future. But don't be scared off by the word "science" - although research was my own least-favorite aspect of graduate school, Gilbert is a straight talker who effuses his writing with witty prose, making even the most dry social psychology experiments seem not only interesting but also relevant to our everyday lives. And although Gilbert argues that humans are unique in that they are the only animals to think about the future, by the end of the book, he is able to completely convince the reader that we all are pretty lousy at this seemingly simple task.
Personally, I've always found social psychology and other studies of human behavior to be pretty interesting (I am a psychologist, after all), but it is Gilbert's clever, often irreverent writing style that makes the book so fascinating as well as appealing to a wide audience. (Those who caught the author as a recent guest on The Colbert Report were treated to a live glimpse of both his intelligence and his sense of humor.) This book certainly gave me a better understanding of why something as basic as happiness could be so elusive to us all - something, like love or the gold at the end of the rainbow, that we are much more likely to stumble upon than to ever find by plan or design.
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L. Oja (MSL quote), USA
<2007-08-12 00:00>
Gilbert certainly is a psychologist, but I do like this grey area between practical philosophy and psychology. I guess my wife must as well, as she bought the book. After the first evening, he reactions, giggling and questions made it obvious to me I would have to read it as well.
The book is simply infectious. It does have a light style, and I would agree with other reviewers that it does read like a very good University lecture. But unlike others, I would not mind if every book was like a VERY GOOD University Lecture. I have certainly lived through a lot of terrible university lectures. So, with this in mind do not believe the reviewers who make this remark - it was delightful!
So, having commandeered the book from my wife's night table, I began to read in earnest. I have now read it twice, and I must say that it certainly does deliver on its promise. However, perhaps it must be read twice, and discussed with someone else who has read the book. It does make you think, and I believe that it is the thinking part that is important. I was surprised by the other reviewers who most assuredly did not get the point - their reviews make this clear.
So, I would heartily suggest that you take the time and read the book. Other people will become more tolerable, and already that is bringing me happiness.
Dare I say, but this is the point that so many people seem to miss out on. Unhappiness can certainly come from the choices that other people make, that MAY affect you in some way. I think that a full understanding of Gilbert's work, if I can be so bold to assume that I have a full understanding, will allow everyone to "just get along better" because they can see and come to terms with the "mistakes" other people make. |
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Tonya (MSL quote), USA
<2007-08-12 00:00>
I like to read book sthat will make my life a better place. i have ben through it - divorece and malpractice lawsuits -drug abuse and being a teenage runaway. My mother left my fathr when she cought him huff ing paint and then took up with our local minister which made me a no show in town. From there my life was just a rollerocaster of drugs and blackouts - waking up on a different couch wiht a diifferent person every day while trying to hold down a full time job and raise three kids. well all that is gone - the job the kids my then husband slash drug addict. I recovered and now try to mak it on a three job schedule with a little help from the stae. So I thought this book might be good casue it is about being happy - and I need that. But it was hard to read - but said good thing - nothign can ever make you happy really - you are all alone in the world and only maybe other peopel will make you a little happy for a time. basiclly what he says is - get it while it's hot - which we all know but need to think about once in a while. and - don;t expect too much - and don;t live in your head - casue what is goin on aroudn you amy nto be as good as the dreams you had but it is all you have got so accept it and deal with it or give up. I have three jobs bad health a daugher who has a restrainging order against me and a son who dissapeared three years ago - but somehow this is the best I have ever felt - my life is no bwl of roses but I guess I am happy. Thank you |
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