Guy's review
Stumbling on Happiness
by Daniel Gilbert
Guy's review
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
Guy's review
rating:
bookshelves:
socsci
First thing you need to know about this book: it's cognitive psychology, not self-help. To Gilbert's credit, he states this clearly early on... but by then, for many purchasers, it will be too late, since the cover fairly shouts "Self-Help!!".
So, to be clear: "Stumbling on Happiness" won't do much to help you be happy, but it will help you understand some of the many reasons as to why, despite our best efforts, we so often fail to be so.
But only some of the reasons, and frankly only some of the simpler and more basic ones. Gilbert is interested in, and explains well, how the brain works to construct reality as we experience it... and how some common mistakes we make can therefore be understood. He has nearly nothing to say, however, about the social and cultural context in which people live, and the many and various ways in which the wider world influences our happiness (or lack thereof).
Ultimately therefore, this is akin to reading a book about what...more
So, to be clear: "Stumbling on Happiness" won't do much to help you be happy, but it will help you understand some of the many reasons as to why, despite our best efforts, we so often fail to be so.
But only some of the reasons, and frankly only some of the simpler and more basic ones. Gilbert is interested in, and explains well, how the brain works to construct reality as we experience it... and how some common mistakes we make can therefore be understood. He has nearly nothing to say, however, about the social and cultural context in which people live, and the many and various ways in which the wider world influences our happiness (or lack thereof).
Ultimately therefore, this is akin to reading a book about what...more
