Rating: 
Summary: Figure It Out Yourself
Review: I was disappointed by this book. While on the surface it looked like a great exercise, after reading it cover to cover and going through the exercises, I found that I came out not knowing anything new about myself. Save your money and just go to the website and do the exercises. I think there are better "get to know thyself" books out there.
Rating: 
Summary: A Solid CD Program
Review: I'm always looking for CDs to listen during my communte. A friend suggested this program as having some good ideas. It does. My criteria for a program being valuable is whether it has useful ideas. His theory about people having predestined ranges of happiness, with ability to move higher within a particular range makes sense. His suggestions about flow also make sense, as does his distinction between a gratification (instant) and a pleasure (must be earned). Cognitive psychology, like the behaviorists beforehand, tends to be formulaic, implying that emothion follows action and behavior leads to feelings. I'm not so sure about dogged determination that formulas are the answer to everything. I also think that this program spends too much time plugging the various surveys available on the author's web site. Still, this gets 4 stars because I got some good ideas and helpful suggestions.
Rating: 
Summary: Personality council in what may seem new to the...
Review: If you are a traditional councilor or stickler to proven past behaviour analysis this book breaks the historical bonds, but as rationally as humanly possible. It would be worthless as a professional to break down the methodology here in a book review, other than say I agree in theory this is a workable therapy. Can a book bring happiness?, not at all but the methods for positive thinking definitely will hit home runs for many personalities. The one ommission here, that I experience in every case is the existence or non-existence of a God in authentic happiness. For that a book which uses positive psychology with and without God I highly recommend is SB: 1 or God by Karl Mark Maddox.
Rating: 
Summary: Describes happiness, doesn't say how to get there
Review: If you are new to the word "happy" and want a dictionary definition that lasts the length of a book, here is your ticket. If, on the other hand, you want tips for experiencing more happiness yourself, look elsewhere...this work is all theory, no practice.
Rating:
Summary: A Profound Gift to Humanity
Review: Leave it to Martin Seligman to not only catch the affective revolutionary wave sweeping through academic psychology, but to turn it into a tsunami called Positive Psychology.
With rare vision and courage, he forges science into realms long neglected, into the upside potentials, strengths, and virtues of human being. And who else could present the research so clearly, cleverly, practically and insightfully to the public. Authentic Happiness is a must read for every kind of scientific or spiritual seeker---for the pioneering discoveries of how nature's emotional processes intersect with culture's moral virtues hint at tremendous unifying promise. The journey will delight and inspire both mind and heart.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't he write this book ten years ago?
Review: Liked the book....Liked the exercises. The book offered some good insights, the exercises allowed me to view myself from a different light. I find nothing wrong with the message of the book or the validity of Seligmans research. But three stars is all I can give because those of us who read "Learned Optimism" had seen most of these arguments and taken most of these tests before. Granted doing them online made it a bit easier----but I can't give a superior review to a re-hashed work. Furthermore, while the material on evaluating yourself is thorough, the material about what to actually do with this information is a lot less clear. While knowing "who you are" is certainly half the battle in any self-help program, the other half "how you are going to change" is every bit as important. Seligman's answers are often imcomplete, sometimes silly. But I'm getting to harsh. The book is an easy read and the exercises are interesting and fun. I DID learn plenty about myself. Definitely one of the better in the self-help genre.
Rating:
Summary: Leading the Way to a Happier Future
Review: Marty Seligman is the leader of the emerging field of Positive Psychology. Finally, psychologists are focusing on what works instead of what is broken. In this highly readable book, the author shares the latest research on happiness and what creates it. I suspect many of the negative reviews were written by pessimists and traditional psychotherapists whose voodo therapy probably does more harm than good. Its true that this is a new field but its significance could change the course of the world. If we all focused on creating positive emotions instead of material wealth, we could transform Earth into a happier and more sustainable planet. Thanks Marty, the people of Earth need your leadership and compassion.
Rating:
Summary: A true "how-to" book for happiness
Review: Much research has shown that people have a set range of happiness, and they're likely to stay within this set range throughout their lives, returning to it over and over again. Dr. Seligman proposes a slightly different way of looking at this situation and represents it with the following equation: H = S + C + V where H is your overall current happiness, S is your set range, C is the influence of current life events, and V represents those factors under your voluntary control. His idea is that while you can't really change your set range, you can set yourself up to experience the highest part of that range a much greater portion of the time.
He believes you can do this by altering how you view your life (past, present and future), using psychological strategies to make your life more pleasant, and discovering and using to the fullest what he calls your "signature strengths."
The research in this book is quite methodical and solid. Seligman systematically lays out the details of dozens of studies (at least!) and decades of research by luminaries and students alike. This is a thick book. Not dry, thankfully, and not inaccessible, but definitely thick. It isn't something you can skim in two hours and be done with; it takes some time to read through, digest, and absorb. This is not a bad thing. Everything is explained with care and attention to detail.
This is an immensely practical and helpful book. It doesn't just talk about happiness; it provides concrete strategies backed up by thorough research that can help you to improve your happiness and your satisfaction with your life. This truly is a how-to book on happiness. The research is solid, careful, and well-thought-out. Dr. Seligman, a self-avowed pessimist, makes it easy for non-optimists to see and understand his points; unlike many optimists he doesn't boil it down to a simple "cheer up!" but instead gives us critical evidence and practical strategies. This is a courageous, in-depth, thoughtful, and highly helpful book for just about anyone from a brilliant researcher. I have no hesitation in recommending it, and will probably be passing it on to several people I know.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful book, especially with supplement for the negatives
Review: My experience with Dr. Seligman's book and its website of personality tests has been very positive overall. So I do recommend this book. One limitation for me, which might also apply to some other readers, is that Authentic Happiness is a little incomplete on advice for people who are not optimistic by nature. My solution to this was to also read another new book --The Positive Power of Negative Thinking by psychologist Julie Norem. Her book and her personality test for 'constructive pessimism' balanced things for me, giving me helpful coverage of realistic individual differences -- so I pass that recommendation along, too.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: One of the best books on happiness. I also recommmend The Pathway, and The Little Guide To Happiness.
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