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The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want | 
 enlarge | Author: Sonja Lyubomirsky
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $8.95
You Save: $6.05 (40%)
New (31) Used (8) from $8.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 1331
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 0143114956
Dewey Decimal Number: 152
EAN: 9780143114956
ASIN: 0143114956
Publication Date: December 30, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
A groundbreaking, practical guide to attaining happiness based on innovative scientific research, The How of Happiness is a powerful contribution to the field of positive psychology and a gift to people who have sought to take their happiness into their own hands. Drawing upon years of her own pioneering research with thousands of men and women, psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky reveals that much of our capacity for happiness is within our power. Detailing an easy-to- follow plan, including exercises in new ways of thinking and understanding our individual obstacles, The How of Happiness offers a positive and empowering way to sustain a new level of joy in our lives.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
 Perfect present December 22, 2008
I have already gifted this book to 6 of my friends.
If you are a scientific person who wants to learn more about happiness and maybe even change parts of your life to be happier, this is the right book.
The "How" of Happiness Indeed December 9, 2008
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
This book is one of the more readable "do-it-yourself" happiness books out there. By that, I mean that your average person can sit down and read the book, understand what it is saying, and come away with some practical advice. This is even more of gem when you consider that it was written by someone who has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology. Many times writing can come across more technical than it needs to be when a Phd. writes for the popular read. Not the case here.
The first thing I liked about this book was the fact that it was written by someone who actually makes their living by studying happiness. Serious happiness readers like myself will be glad to know that the author is not only well-published in peer-reviewed journals, but is also an associate editor of the Journal of Positive Psychology- the field's academic journal. What more do you want?
So we're off to a good start with this one. Instead of giving you a blow-by-blow of each chapter, I think this particular book review lends itself better to telling potential buyers some of things they can expect from it:
-you will be able to determine your current level of happiness on a scale that the author has developed and validated. The good thing about this is that you can re-check you happiness levels after doing some of the suggested activities to see if they actually boosted your happiness levels (like you wouldn't know anyway, but being a researcher myself, I like to be able to quantify things)
-you will learn what determines your happiness. The book points out three major things: circumstances, your genetic set-point, and intentional activity. Since intentional activities is the area that offers the most potential to increase your happiness, the book's strategies come from this area. This is a common theme in some of the more recent happiness book, such as Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World, simply because it makes the most sense and there has been a surge of research on intentional activities to increase one's happiness.
-you get a slew of activities to increase your happiness such as expressing gratitude, practicing acts of kindness, or increasing flow experiences (readers liking this strategy should be sure to check out the authoritative book on flow aptly titled Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.
So I think the above represents the major "goodies" in the book, and the info that a typical reader would buy this book to get. However if its more you want, there's also plenty of that. For instance there are plenty of happiness facts cited and even a section on depression.
All-in-all, as you can tell, I really liked this book a lot. If I had to pick one thing I DIDN'T like about it though, it would be it's length. The book is well-over 300 pages and readers of my reviews know that I personally prefer short, to-the-point, practical books. But, when all is said and done, if you want some great happiness info and some practical happiness strategies, check it out. Happy trails!
Great Approach December 1, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Although the first part of the book is a bit repetitive, and I would quibble with some of the methodology, part II is incredibly valuable because it has 12 well-explained strategies you can choose from and begin implementing on daily basis to become happier. The strategies are excellent. Among the many, many psychology and self-help books I've read, this is one of my top five favorites ever because the content is so valuable.
 Yes, I agree w/ Allison November 27, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Maybe I'm biased, having breeasts and all, but the brain ladies always seem to give us the straight answers and I'm loyal to that. This is a wonderful book, very insightful. A good old fashioned "Brain Book" and from a fellow woman, you really can't beat that! I'm also going to have to plug Sarah Shikitao-Brown's book as well, because as Allison Tyler mentioned earlier,"Go brain ladies!" I concur completely. Here's the link to that one, both of these books are exceptional. Tao Cycle Therapy: Natural Happiness via Self Directed Cure for Chronic Anxiety & Depression [Updated 2008 3nd Edition]
-Jane Stevens
Singer Bobby McFerrin had a monster hit in 1988 entitled Don't Worry, Be Happy. The hypnotically perky, happy song hopped its wa November 18, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Singer Bobby McFerrin had a monster hit in 1988 entitled Don't Worry, Be Happy. The hypnotically perky, happy song hopped its way across the globe, magically lifting the spirits of listeners everywhere. The lyrics say: "In your life expect some trouble / When you worry you make it double / Don't worry, be happy / Be happy now." If only happiness were that easy to achieve. Indeed, happiness requires considerable focus and effort, but psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky promises that it is eminently achievable, even for the galactically unhappy. She outlines some proven psychological stratagems and explains why they work, if you put in the effort. Just be aware of and implement specific mood-lifting techniques to improve the level of happiness in your life. Whether or not you cheer up when you hear McFerrin's catchy tune, getAbstract suggests giving Lyubomirsky's scientific happiness-inducing techniques a shot. Don't worry, be happy: They just might work.
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