Windowsill

By Tal Ben-Shahar.
Reviewed by Todd Pendergast for JOMC 711

“Being rich doesn’t mean you’ll be happy.”
Haven’t we all heard that one before? A new book, Happier, by Tal Ben-Shahar, explores that idea and many others as it aims to become a workbook for those who want to be happy.

Can You Learn to Be Happy?
Upon hearing the book’s title, I was somewhat skeptical. Is this yet another self-help program offering a quick fix to one of life’s fundamental problems? I decided to give it a chance after hearing the author describe his life-long dedication to the subject.

Tal Ben-Shahar is an advocate of the new field of positive psychology that is capturing interest in the academic world and the nonfiction book market. In the past year, more than 100 new classes on the subject have appeared in colleges across the U.S. What is positive psychology and why is the study of happiness so popular? According to Ben-Shahar, positive psychology is “the scientific study of optimal human functioning,” and was first introduced as a field of study by Martin Seligman in 1998. The author believes that psychology has largely been focused on what ails us rather than what we can do to get better. He explains that previously self help books and seminars have touched on the subject, but have offered simplistic solutions that didn’t lead anywhere. He believes that they gave the concept of self-help a bad reputation.

A Story We Can Relate To
Ben-Shahar begins with a personal story about how he first became obsessed with the question, “How can I find lasting happiness?” He describes the feeling of euphoria that he felt upon winning the Israeli National Squash Tournament as a teenager. The feeling was short-lived, and he soon wondered what all the pain and sacrifice was for if it didn’t bring lasting happiness. He asserts that we should not view our happiness as an end, but rather use it as a measuring stick for how we could better live our daily lives. He explains one of the central ideas in the book:

“Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable.”

The Outline of Happier
Happier is divided into three sections. The first section seeks to define a life of happiness. The second deals with putting these ideas into practice in work and in life. The final part provides seven meditations on the nature of happiness.

In the first section he describes his main theoretical ideas by explaining that people and their relation to happiness can be illustrated by four archetypes: the hedonist, the rat-racer, the nihilist and the happy person.

• The Hedonist lives for pleasure in the moment without a sense of a greater future purpose.
• The Rat-Racer lives for the future goal and sacrifices his enjoyment of the present.
• The Nihilist has given up on happiness. He doesn’t seek pleasure in the present or meaning in the future, but lives in his happier past
• The Happy Person has a healthy balance of pleasure and meaning in his life.

The author suggests that to be happy one should cultivate a sense of meaning and future destination while trying to enjoy the ride. He then builds the case that we should use happiness, rather than money or status, as our “ultimate currency” in life.

Happiness is a Hot Topic
Finding happiness is a popular subject these days, but Happier stands out as a refreshing alternative to many of the popular books and self-help programs on the market. A recent example, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, seems to offer a simple fix to all of life’s difficulties based on the idea that your thoughts will lead directly to your reality. That idea may sound attractive and plausible, but the book offers only vague, simplistic suggestions for practical application.

The unique appeal of Happier may be its research-driven treatment of the topic, and its focus on practical integration with life. Happier often serves as a workbook, introducing meditations, exercises and other practical tools. One example is the author’s suggestion that we integrate rituals into our lives. The idea is based on research suggesting that self discipline is rarely effective as a means to change, and that instead we should introduce small daily routines that slowly become agents of change. Ben-Shahar recalls the words of Tony Schwartz:

“Incremental change is better than ambitious failure.”

A Toolbox for Greater Happiness
Expressing gratitude is also offered as a tool to increase our happiness. The author introduces research by Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, in which subjects that wrote down at least five things for which they were grateful, enjoyed higher levels of well being. Ben-Shahar explains that through this exercise we can learn to appreciate the positive in our life instead of taking it for granted.

Happier Having Read It
In the end, Happier reminds us that individual effort toward a better life is critical, but knowing what kind of efforts to make should come first. The author provides a direction to aim for. He backs up his theories with comprehensive research, and he “keeps it real” with heartening personal stories. The book offers a vital bridge from theory to practice, by providing exercises that anyone could try on their way to becoming happier.

More about Happier and Tal Ben-Shahar

The primary audience for this writing sample is the professor and students of JOMC 711 at UNC Chapel Hill