this is an amazingly good book, and it's a shame it's not getting more attention.

based on the title, it's easy to mistake this for a self-help book. it's something much more interesting, which is a blend of pop-science book and memoir.

the author describes lab experiments, summarizes research, guides the reader through parts of the brain, which chemicals they make when and why, and how all these things can help to stack up and create the ephemeral feeling of satisfaction in a person. this is pretty standard stuff for a book on neuroscience.

the really great aspect of the book, though, is that berns goes out into the world on adventures. he talks to people in cuba about their life under a communist regime. he visits iceland, supposedly the country with the most satisfied people in the world, and accidentally finds out how their mythology may be connected to his research.

he spends an evening cooking and talking with a famous argentinian chef, interviews people who run 100m-mile ultramarathons, and visits an SM club.

at the end of the book, berns brings his knowledge home, and tries to get more satisfaction out of his marriage. i found this part in particular really personal and honest, and it's a great illustration of how he's looking for connctions everywhere in the world around him. if it's a self-help book for anyone, it's the author, which i always find makes the most interesting books.

he's very skilled at weaving the real-life anecdotes into the relevant science material, and he's obviously got a flair for prose. these elements on top of the interesting content make for a really well-paced book that it's sad to see end. i'll be rereading this one frequently.