Stumbling on Happiness

In this fascinating and often hilarious work – winner of the Royal Society of Science Prize 2007 – pre-eminent psychologist Daniel Gilbert shows how – and why – the majority of us have no idea how to make ourselves happy.
We all want to be happy, but do we know how? When it comes to improving tomorrow at the expense of today, we're terrible at predicting how to please our future selves.

In ‘Stumbling on Happiness’ Professor Daniel Gilbert combines psychology, neuroscience, economics and philosophy with irrepressible wit to describe how the human brain imagines its future – and how well (or badly) it predicts what it will enjoy. Revealing some of the amazing secrets of human motivation, he also answers thought-provoking questions – why do dining companions order different meals instead of getting what they want? Why are shoppers happier when they can't get refunds? And why are couples less satisfied after having children while insisting that their kids are a source of joy?

Winner of Royal Society Prize for Science Books: General Prize 2007

“'"Stumbling on Happiness" is an absolutely fantastic book that will shatter your most deeply held convictions about how your own mind works. Ceaselessly entertaining, Gilbert is the perfect guide to some of the most interesting psychological research ever performed. Think you know what makes you happy? You won't know for sure until you have read this book.' Steven D. Levitt, author of 'Freakonomics' 'In "Stumbling on Happiness", Daniel Gilbert shares his brilliant insights into our quirks of mind, and steers us toward happiness in the most delightful, engaging ways. If you stumble on this book, you're guaranteed many doses of joy.' Daniel Goleman, author of 'Emotional Intelligence' 'This is a brilliant book, a useful book, and a book that could quite possibly change the way you look at just about everything. And as a bonus, Gilbert writes like a cross between Malcolm Gladwell and David Sedaris.' Seth Godin, author 'All Marketers Are Liars' 'Everyone will enjoy reading this book, and some of us will wish we could have written it. You will rarely have a chance to learn so much about so important a topic while having so much fun.' Professor Daniel Kahneman, Princeton University, Winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics 'A fascinating new book that explores our sometimes misguided attempts to find happiness.' Time Magazine 'If Daniel Gilbert is right, then you are wrong ... everything you have ever thought about life choices, and about happiness, has been at the least somewhat native and, at worst, greatly mistaken.' New York Times 'In a book that is as deep as it is delightful, Daniel Gilbert reveals the powerful and often surprising connections between our experience of happiness and how we think about the future. Drawing on cutting edge psychological research and his own sharp insights into everyday events, Gilbert manages to have considerable fun while expertly illuminating some of the most profound mysteries of the human mind. I confidently predict that your future will be happier if you read this pathbreaking volume.' Daniel L. Schacter, Harvard University, author of 'Searching for Memory' and 'The Seven Sins of Memory'”

'"Stumbling on Happiness" is an absolutely fantastic book that will shatter your most deeply held convictions about how your own mind works. Ceaselessly entertaining, Gilbert is the perfect guide to some of the most interesting psychological research ever performed. Think you know what makes you happy? You won't know for sure until you have read this book.' Steven D. Levitt, author of 'Freakonomics' 'In "Stumbling on Happiness", Daniel Gilbert shares his brilliant insights into our quirks of mind, and steers us toward happiness in the most delightful, engaging ways. If you stumble on this book, you're guaranteed many doses of joy.' Daniel Goleman, author of 'Emotional Intelligence' 'This is a brilliant book, a useful book, and a book that could quite possibly change the way you look at just about everything. And as a bonus, Gilbert writes like a cross between Malcolm Gladwell and David Sedaris.' Seth Godin, author 'All Marketers Are Liars' 'Everyone will enjoy reading this book, and some of us will wish we could have written it. You will rarely have a chance to learn so much about so important a topic while having so much fun.' Professor Daniel Kahneman, Princeton University, Winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics 'A fascinating new book that explores our sometimes misguided attempts to find happiness.' Time Magazine 'If Daniel Gilbert is right, then you are wrong ! everything you have ever thought about life choices, and about happiness, has been at the least somewhat naive and, at worst, greatly mistaken.' New York Times 'In a book that is as deep as it is delightful, Daniel Gilbert reveals the powerful and often surprising connections between our experience of happiness and how we think about the future. Drawing on cutting edge psychological research and his own sharp insights into everyday events, Gilbert manages to have considerable fun while expertly illuminating some of the most profound mysteries of the human mind. I confidently predict that your future will be happier if you read this pathbreaking volume.' Daniel L. Schacter, Harvard University, author of 'Searching for Memory' and 'The Seven Sins of Memory'

Daniel Gilbert was born in 1957 and is the Harvard College Professor of Psychology at Harvard University in Cambridge Massachusetts. He has won numerous awards for his teaching and research, including the Phi Beat Kappa Teaching Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology. His research has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, Forbes, Money, the New Yorker, Scientific American, Oprah Magazine, Psychology Today, and more. His short stories have appeared in Amazing Stories and Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, as well as other magazines and anthologies. Stumbling on Happiness was awarded the Royal Society of Science Prize in 2007.

In this fascinating and often hilarious work - winner of the Royal Society of Science Prize 2007 - pre-eminent psychologist Daniel Gilbert shows how - and why - the majority of us have no idea how to make ourselves happy. We all want to be happy, but do we know how? When it comes to improving tomorrow at the expense of today, we're terrible at predicting how to please our future selves. In 'Stumbling on Happiness' Professor Daniel Gilbert combines psychology, neuroscience, economics and philosophy with irrepressible wit to describe how the human brain imagines its future - and how well (or badly) it predicts what it will enjoy. Revealing some of the amazing secrets of human motivation, he also answers thought-provoking questions - why do dining companions order different meals instead of getting what they want? Why are shoppers happier when they can't get refunds? And why are couples less satisfied after having children while insisting that their kids are a source of joy?

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