The Nature of Happiness

by Desmond Morris

What is happiness? Here, one of the world’s foremost behavioral scientists tackles this age-old question. He shows that there are many ways of achieving happiness; for example, there is the inherent happiness that comes with the love of a child; the competitive happiness of triumphing over your opponents; the sensual happiness of the hedonist. Rather than preaching a particular behavior or way of life, Morris provides knowledge that we can use, if we wish, to make ourselves happier.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Psychology, Self Help, Sociology, Science

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Desmond John Morris (born 24 January 1928) is an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology. He is known for his 1967 book The Naked Ape, and for his television programmes such as Zoo Time.

Reviews

[Fedra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Δεν είπε κάτι που δεν γνωρίζουμε ή δεν καταλαβαίνουμε με την λογική... Και δεν συμφώνησα με όλα τα συμπεράσματα που βγάζει.
Θεωρώ υπάρχουν αναγνώσματα ψυχολογικά ή φιλοσοφικά που προσφέρουν περισσότερο βάθος στη φύση της ευτυχίας. Το διάβασα μέσα σε λίγες ώρες, αφού το βρήκα στην βιβλιοθήκη μου ξεχασμένο για χρόνια.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s easy to forget you’re a smart ape with certain biological urges and needs. This book reminded me and provided a great sense of perspective on happiness, which is many things to many people, at many points in time. This is resolutely not a self-help book. It has however reminded me of the sources of my personal happiness. It’s a quick read and it entertained me through a long damp January evening. I will re-read this book in a few years, when I’ve forgotten I’m a smart ape again.

[Madame Histoire · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright, nothing groundbreaking, just a classification of the types of happiness and the types of people who run after which type of happiness, from the ones you expect, to the ones you expect less (e.g. drugs, pain, denial).
I would have given it 3 stars, but the highly opinionated tone of the book and clearly misogynistic choices of examples in his list of "great figures" who were great intellectual despite being highly carnal creatures as only male figures, made it loose one star. I feel a bit bad about that, isn't 2 stars too harsh? In any case, it isn't a book I would or would not recommend. I feel like there are better books about the topic out there. Maybe it is also a bit short to be that deep. And the author merely states his opinion without backing it up with any concretes studies or examples... but it wasn't a terrible book either.

What I'm taking out of this book
"To sum up, my definition of happiness is he sudden surge of pleasure we feel when something gets better." --> something major or minor, but "because it is linked to change" it isn't "a lasting sensation, but rather a fleeting one"
-> trivial and boring repetition cannot lead to happiness
-> need of achievable goals
-> many sources of happiness as many different category of peoples, ones should refuse the idea that there is only one kind of happiness
-> characteristics to be increase moments of happiness: curiosity, ambition, competitiveness, helpfulness, sociability, playfulness, imagination

the books ends on (too) many quotes (without any context) of great authors about happiness. Only the Victor Hugo one caught my attention, not really because I found it to be true, but because of its poesy:
"Le bonheur suprême de la vie est la conviction d'être aimé pour soi-même, ou plus exactement, d'être aimé en dépit de soi-même."

[AneliRS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi lectura de este libro comenzó por una asignación de la escuela tras la pregunta ¿Qué te hace feliz?.

Después de leerlo se QUE circunstancia me ha dado ese efímero momento de dicha sin embargo, no tengo claro si tendré y/o como tendré otro momento de felicidad.

La mente humana es tan impredecible como su misma felicidad.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asset management, but for human happiness. There are quite a few quotable highlights:

Those of us who have creative lives full of variety and challenge, with visible goals at which we can aim our efforts - we are the lucky ones. We can live in the way humans evolved to live: planning, striving, achieving, taking risks.

It is also clear that happiness comes in many forms and can be found in different contexts. For some, the achievement of an ambition brings a powerful moment of sometimes overwhelming happiness. For others, who set their sights too high, the inability to reach their lofty goals can easily condemn them to a life of self-imposed failure and disappointment. For the luckier ones, who are more modest in their goals, there can, by contrast, be many minor moments of happiness that, together, can add up to a great deal during a single lifetime....The secret of increasing 'target happiness' lies in accepting that the human species is not suited to a life of trivial, repetitive behaviour that is lacking in serious challenges. Of course, we all have humdrum duties to perform day after day. but these must not be allowed to dominate our lives. We need to set aside part of our daily energy for more long-term pursuits. with a final. reachable goal. That goal must be realistic - not too high and not too low - and suited to our personal potential.

If our official work - our profession or employment - is varied and challenging. then we are the lucky ones who will need little more in the way of 'targets' to keep us happy. But if our daily work is a monotonous grind lacking in any kind of long-term achievement, or if we have been forced
to go into a cosy but boring retirement. then we need to invent a spare-time challenge of some kind that will give us a personal target that suits our particular talents. Only in this way can we hope to enjoy the thrill of consummating a symbolic chase. and satisfying our primeval programming as tribal hunters.

The major part of their lives was spent in activities that were insulting to the great brains that nestled inside their skulls: the greatest brains in the whole history of evolution. This
terrible set-back for such a large slice of humanity meant that happiness had to be found in hobbies and holidays, in the corners of their lives rather than in its centre.

On masochists:

It they cannot have fun, then being funless must somehow be converted into an attractive proposition. They start to deny themselves pleasures and to enjoy the act of denial as a form of spiritual superiority. Each new renouncement of a personal pleasure becomes accompanied by a pang of smugly chaste happiness. This process, once begun, can easily escalate to reach levels of self flagellation and self-restraint that reduce the life of the mental masochist to a stunted, bleak experience that is a travesty of human existence.

The primary motive of the prohibitors is not to take pleasure in hurting others, but rather to infect them with the same brand of masochistic happiness that they themselves have come to enjoy. They want to share their self-denial pleasures with everyone else.

[Mangoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Demistification of idols, and at the same time simplistic justifications of human behavior. This is what Morris has to offer to his readers with his humble-toned and well-crafted books inspired from his background in anthropology. In this at times mechanistic rationalization of sort, all seems to be deriving from our ancestors' traits and habits as forged by evolution, environment and genetics.
Here Desmond focuses on what kinds of happiness exists - indeed the book can be reduced down to a simple list of descriptions, which Morris provides with light-hearted understanding and compassionate comprehension, and only rarely taking a more pronounced stand (as when he opts against drugs, or even when supporting the little damage of an occasional cigarette).
No training to be happy is proposed, just a list of choices. During the reading, one has the impression that no single human behavior is not driven by some even hidden search for happiness, that is for a discharge of chemicals within our brain that trigger intrinsically transient states of elation and proportional euphoria.
Such a down-to-earth approach is welcome as it provides a sort of lexicon for happiness, which is most of the times missing or simply unknown also to those generally and mischievously teaching how to be happy. That is, here the sets of options, choose yours somehow and if you want.
Morris' prose is cherished, clean and respectful of the variety of experiences that may lead to behaviors. A tougher reference to neurological correlates where available would have helped making a stronger case. References are in general poor and discussion mostly constrained to common sense and examples. The anthropological reminders seem evident, and though pleasant in their way of removing mist from concepts and never too far fetched, at times they may appear palliative or misleading.
The book ends with a list of citations as exemplifications of famous people's tendency toward the types and appreciations of happiness discussed by the writer.
A non-assuming, humanity-filled, pleasant and ultimately not too meaty short book.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this booklet's cover.

5 women with shower caps enjoying a bubble bath on a beach in calm purplish-blue-grey tone.* Each woman is in her own bathtub, her own self-contained contentment. Yet they are in communion.

The picture says: "Do your own thing, whatever it may be, that makes you feel peaceful, happy and contented. Laugh a bit, and don't be afraid to look a bit silly doing what you enjoy." Wearing a shower cap in a bathtub on the beach? That's contentment. That's confidence in your contentment.

Desmond Morris is a British anthropologist and behavioral scientist. From years of observing animals and human behaviour, he concludes that there are many ways of achieving happiness and that what makes one happy is not necessarily so important for another.

Some are more competitive and need to win in order to be happy. Others are more sensual and enjoy the arts or food. And of course, there is the inherent happiness that comes with the love of a child. In summation, rather than preaching a particular behavior or way of life, Morris provides us knowledge and comfort that we are wired differently and that they are many paths to happiness.

You can easily read this booklet in a few hours.

[Essam Munir · Rating 4 out of 5]

"For those wishing to increase their score on the happiness scale, the best answer is to refuse to accept that there is only one kind of happiness, and instead to re-examine alternative sources of happiness that are available to them. There may be a rich vein of happiness to be found in some area of life that has never even occurred to them."

"Sadly, for many law-abiding citizens who have never been in jail, life can be almost as boring. Their daily work-tasks are so repetitive and unimaginative that they simply do not offer any potential for human happiness. Such individuals may not be in prison, but they may nevertheless find themselves confined in the invisible cages of the modern human zoo."

I think these 2 quotes sum up the book.
I read this book while i'm sad to remind myself that there are many sources for happiness, happiness is not confined to achievements, it's not confined to "loving someone", we can gain happiness from multiple sources.
It is not a self-help book, but it is a journey to find the sources of happiness.

[Vishal Akhouri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book classifies the various kinds of happiness, that can be there. The book is differenct from other books of its kind in the way that it does not preach a particular way of life to be happy but aims at giving an insight into the various ways which can make one happy. Most of the ways we are actually aware of, but what makes it a good read is the fact that it actually documents which we actually know. So a good effort.

[Tara_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay, not the best book I've ever read about happiness. Some will enjoy the fact that it has no 'psychobable'. I found it to be a very unremarkable book, however it does give you the basic facts.

[Joanna ARTbyJWP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it in one day! Easy to read and highly recommended for those who like reading books about human nature and happiness!

[Tahsin Reja · Rating 4 out of 5]

নেচার অব হ্যাপিনেস সুখানুভুতির এভোল্যুশন, হরেক রকম সুখের বিশ্লেষন নিয়ে এক কথায় একটা আই ওপেনিং বই।

[Sandeep Gautam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short, light and easy read. A different type of book from the existing 'happiness' books.....yet grounded and easy to empathize with.

[Isla Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting, the quotes particularly. It was a little dry perhaps. I particularly like the front cover image.

[Ankit Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple definitions and classification of Happiness. More about Human nature, as expected a book by Desmond John Morris.