Pursuit of Happiness

Rating:
Summary: Happiness is a topic you can never learn too much about
Review: David Meyeres does an excellent job of highlighting a subject in which everyone should be more knowledgeable. A great range of information is conveyed in a very organized, clear style. The book is clearly meant for a reader interested in learning more about happiness in detailed depth, without assuming the reader is a Ph.D. psychologist. The points within this book are significant, but Meyers has written the book in such a manner that it is still comprehensive to those beginning their study.

With unhappiness on the upward trend, this book could benefit most anyone. It provides worthwhile facts in a clear, fascinating way. This book is one step closer to achieving a healthier, happier society.

After reading this book for a school assingment, I was very pleased to find I could also take a great deal away and relate it to my own life. Meyers points out several factors interfereing with achieving happiness. This book has helped me identify the sources of my unhappiness, and given me the ability to better enjoy life. My previous perspectives have been improved. I am sure The Pursuit of Happiness could be an aid for anyone feeling mildly unhappy, or those who are merely curious in understanding the fundamentals behind human happiness. This book discusses everything from age, gender, race, social status, marriage, friends, and religion and their impacts on happiness. There are some bits of information which seem to be common sense. However, it is better to know the truth, then assume something incorrectly.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating summaries of studies of well-being
Review: David Myers summarizes and synthesizes studies on the sense of well-being and happiness. What makes us happy, or what makes us perceive to be happy? Study after study is cited to describe factors that are related or unrelated to happiness, sometimes disproving "conventional wisdom." Myers explains cultural factors and thinking patterns, and how they are related to how happy we are.

After reading this book, I have a better understanding of what really matters in life, and why. I also better know how to foster my own happiness, and what to pursue after. Wealth doesn't matter. Thankfulness does help. Ethnicity doesn't matter. Having a close network of friends does.

I highly recommend this book as a great information source on happiness. It is not a self help book, but a renowned psychologists wisdom woven with objective studies.

Rating:
Summary: Good, objective survey of the way people achieve happiness
Review: I found this book very useful because its not preaching from one point of view, or with one "fool-proof" method. Instead, it is a professional psychologist's survey of research (from over 100 years) that objectively notes characteristics of happy people. It reaffirmed some beliefs I have, and shattered some others (such as more money = more happiness). Overall, this is a very well-researched, and yet pleasant book to read that makes you think about what makes you, the reader, happy in your own life.

Rating:
Summary: This is a very useful book
Review: I've read dozens of books on happiness and many are the same old stuff. However, this book is different - it is a research book about what really matters if you want to be happy. I found it useful and enjoyable. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: An oasis of reason in a desert of self-help nonsense
Review: Myers asks the question: "Who is happy and why?" And attempts to answer the question by asking another: "What does the evidence support?" So doing, he replaces prejudice and presupposition with a solid foundation.

Myers examines data from a wide variety of human happiness studies, which is exactly what one ought to do for clarity on the issue. The philosophers have expressed their intuitions about the good life (Plato, Seneca, Aristotle), and Myers has reported empirical support for some of their intuitions.

Another reviewer called attention to Myers' bias toward faith in the role of happiness. Though Myers qualifies his analysis by: 1) claiming knowledge only of the Mosaic tradition (religions that derive from the teachings of Moses - Judaism, Christianity, Islam); 2) by playing the game of large numbers (that the vast majority of Americans and Europeans practice Mosaic religions); and 3) by encouraging cross-cultural research rather than examining or pioneering cross-cultural research, in the end it just doesn't ring true.

If Psychology can be conceived of as a science of human behavior - rather than a "je ne sais quois" employing quantitative methods - then universality of experience should be considered. The book isn't titled "The Pursuit of Happiness In America and Europe." Perhaps it ought to be.

If a God belief rather than some other commonality of social interaction in religion -- fellowship and intimate communication about life's deepest issues -- is the central factor in faith-based happiness, then some atheistic forms of Buddhism may refute his claim.

As Myers says, emotions are biological events which may lead to good or ill in the body; but a belief in the Void, and engaging one's fellows in talk about the Void, participating in related rituals and so on, may be just as salubrious and/or felicity-inducing as belief in a personal God. Deep faith may contribute to happiness, but it doesn't necessarily include a faith in God.

Aside from questions of faith, Myers is to be commended for viewing happiness and the various means to its attainment with a critical eye.

An engaging read, though not without its flaws.

Rating:
Summary: Gotta read!!
Review: This book changed my perception of life. It clearly defines what is truly important. I realized how happy I am. Easy read.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable information - Poor style - Religiously biased
Review: This book is no fun to read. It is some kind of PhD thesis.

The research is exhaustive, but the style is so poor that I doubt you will have the courage to reach the end.

So, go straight to the end, there is a 2 pages summary which is definitely worth reading and remembering when people speak about "unattainable happiness".

Rating:
Summary: You could have had 5 stars!!!!!
Review: This book proved to be an extremely interesting read. Not written in typical self-improvement genre, but more a scientific study. I was entertained by it and found it both interesting and at times surprising. It was a refreshing break from the more pollyanna viewpoint. The last chapter disappointed me. It seemed to deviate from the spirit of the book and I sensed the author bestowing his own dogmatic view point to culminate an otherwise good read.

Rating:
Summary: Why you are smiling or scowling?
Review: This is one of the best books on the subject of happiness. It is a serious book written based on fact (backed up by research) and not fluff. When I say fluff I'm referring to all those books with the authors personal claim to 100 ways to happiness. In this book the bibliography is 40 pages alone, with about 520 books or articles used as reference. 520! You can see that there has been a great deal of hard-core research done.

Other books tell you to picture your dreams or hug your neighbor. Not this one. David backs up all his arguments with numerous studies that have been performed in recent years.

An early chapter on wealth and well being contains information from at least ten studies. One study covers sixteen countries and involves responses from 170, 000 participants. I'm happy to see that David has looked at happiness within the influence of a culture not just the individual itself. In happiness books I believe it is important to correlate happiness between the culture and the individual. Like David points out, a boy in Africa playing with a tin can, can be as happy as Richy Rich in North America and his fully loaded gaming lap top. Obviously our society places too much emphasis on wealth and materialism to fuel our happy cells when perhaps we should be simply fine-tuning our attitudes.

The chapter describing the four traits of happy people is an excellent short list of reasons on why some are cheerful (and some grouchy). I see that they undoubtedly apply to me.

· I like myself . . .(Self Esteem, happy people like themselves).

· My destiny is my own in that I have "earned", a great job, super home, improving golf game and supporting family . . .(Personal Control, happy people choose their destinies).

· I am positive about my future . . .(Optimism, happy people are hope filled).

· I like giving presentations and also acting the fool around others. . (Extraversion . . .happy people are outgoing)

David also discusses the topic of flow, which has been extensively researched by Mihal Csikszentmihalyi. Flow is about finding meaning in what you are doing and being engaged to the point of losing sense of time. I can't agree with him more on this important happiness trigger since time can torture us when we are idle, and be forgotten when we are fully engaged. Remember when the afternoon whizzed by? I don't think you were flicking channels on the TV. Perhaps you were engaging or stretching your mind (playing guitar, reading, scuba diving . . .etc) therefore growing as a human being. For more information on this subject see my review on Mihal's book focusing on Flow.

David also presents his view on friendship and happiness again backed up by plenty of concrete research from various institutions. The same goes for love, marriage, and faith.

The only weak area in this book, is the chapter on faith where religion is examined and whether it plays an important role in happiness. I found the chapter too long, it jumped around a lot and it did not end the book well. I think the chapter describing the four traits of happiness would have been a great closer.

With that said I still have to give this book an excellent rating. I am awed at the amount of obviously great research that has been done. This piece of work will leave you with obvious understanding why some of us are grinning and some are scowling.