Sonja Lyubomirsky

I read children’s picture books and travel narratives and creative nonfiction and literary fiction and Books About Happiness.

Yes, Books About Happiness. It’s one of my favorite genres.

I’ve read Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman and Happiness: Lessons from a New Science by Richard Leyman and Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project and Happier at Home and the Dalai Lama’s The Art of Happiness and Sonja Lyubomirsky’s earlier book, The How of Happiness.

How could I pass up show more Lyubomirsky’s new book, The Myths of Happiness?

Of course I couldn’t.

And I am happy to report that reading it was four hours happily spent.

Lyubomirsky’s underlying theme relies on the truth of two quotes: Pasteur reminds us, “Chance favors the prepared mind,” and Socrates notes, “He who is not contented with what he has, Would not be contented with what he would like to have.”

Chapter by chapter, Lyubomirsky examines all the myths of happiness we Americans hide in our hearts---all the I’ll Be Happy When’s and all the I Can’t Be Happy If’s---and explodes them, using a lovely combination of scientific research and case studies.

Turns out, we are much more resilient than we think we are. We keep walking through great traumas with scarcely more than a few months’ dip in happiness. We keep walking through great good fortune with scarcely more than a few months’ rise in happiness.

Interesting. Unexpected. Good to know. show less

For me this book was a slow read but I like the concept of the book and I believe that society as a whole would do better, if we had more people teaching these truths. Perhaps if people knew it was normal to have these ebbs and flows of happiness in their relationships, there would be lower rates of divorce.

The key things I took away from the book was the importance of gratitude and remembering (how things use to be) plays into us having fulfilling lives. In the end, I was reminded of a show more saying I heard sometime ago—happiness is about happenings. And truth is that sometimes in life the happenings aren't so good but we can still choose to walk in joy.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book through TLC Book Tours. No other compensation was provided. See the complete review at: The Watered Soul show less

If you read The Geography of Happiness, you might give this a try. Self-help books are often facile and silly, but this is research-based and that appeals to the scientist in me. The general analysis is that approximately 40% of our mood/attitudes is subject to our direct control (as in not biology or given life circumstances. It is a fascinating look at what one might be able to do with that 40% and how. The only section I skimmed was the one on spirituality/religion, but the others are show more well worth a look. Some repetition and a few wonky questionnaires aside, it is at least guaranteed to make you think again about what you really need to be happy. show less

There are some helpful nuggets in this user-friendly guide to a universal theme: attaining happiness. One of the sub-titles in some editions positions the book as a "scientific approach" to the topic. Indeed, Lyubomirsky skillfully weaves in a number of relevant studies to bolster her assertions. It gets a bit dense and even repetitive in spots. But in general, "The How of Happiness" serves up some practical tips aimed at boosting people's happiness quotients. The first mission involves show more finding out what makes each of us tick. The author provides an easy-to-administer assessment test. Once the assessment is made, she presents a laundry list of activities that could help people to gain more satisfaction out of daily life. A couple examples: setting up a system that makes it easy to "savor" positive memories as a regular routine, and focusing on accomplishing intrinsic goals. I doubt that many would label this book a ground-breaking work, but I do think it's well worth reading. show less