Book Review - Happier By Tal Ben-Shahar

HAPPIER is first of all an experience of happiness. Tal Ben-Shahar's book is a guide to increasing happiness no matter how happy you are when you start reading. There are, however, situations the author excludes. Those where there is major depression and anxiety disorders, and those for whom external circumstances clearly prevent a flourishing life.Many of Ben-Shahar's recommendations are based on research over the last 10-15 years by Csikszentmihalyi, Diener, Emmons, Frederickson, Gilbert, Lykken, Lyubomirsky, Peterson, and Seligman. Martin Seligman initiated the Positive Psychology movement, of which happiness is a significant part, when he was President of the American Psychological Association in 1998. Ben-Shahar includes the works of Herbert Benson and Jon Kabat-Zinn on meditation, and Nathanial Brandon on spontaneous sentence completion. His bibliography will stimulate the researcher's curiosity.HAPPIER is a book that has something for everybody. It is divided into three parts. Each chapter is easy to read. Each chapter has practical exercises to help increase your happiness quotient. A lot of ground is covered in 176 pages.Part 1 includes general happiness exercises. A simple gratitude journal is present in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 has both an exercise to help you discover your happiness archetype and a meditation exercise. Meditation is considered so important to happiness that Ben-Shahar devotes Part 3 to various meditations. In chapter 3, the author has you make a list of what's meaningful and what makes you happiest. Then he has you write down how much time you devote to these activities weekly and monthly. Chapter 4 sentence completion exercises reveal insights that bring about meaningful change. The second exercise in Chapter 4 has you envision your ideal week based on the data collected in Chapter 3. Chapter 5 focuses on goal setting exercises.In addition to these exercises, Part 2 looks at three specific areas of your life: education, work and relationship.One of Ben-Shahar's interesting observations is that happiness is not an end state, but rather something you work towards your whole life. Thus you can be happier each day with no end in sight. In order to increase your happiness, he talks about the value of rituals. Namely, that they provide structure which is essential to the creative process. Also, without them you are likely to become reactive to other people's demands."The most creative individuals -- whether artists, businesspeople, or parents -- have rituals that they follow. Paradoxically, the routine frees them up to be creative and spontaneous." (p10)Ben-Shahar strongly promotes having gratification both now and in the future. While there are times when it may be necessary to "...forgo one for the other, it is possible to enjoy both most of the time." (p25) He also is clear that it is not possible to be happy all of the time. To believe this is possible is to set yourself up for disappointment.In addition to enjoyable and simple exercises to increase happiness, what Ben-Shahar's little book is, is a philosophy of life. One that allows for ups and downs without giving up the present and future goal of happiness. While other writers on happiness have said much of what Ben-Shahar has presented, and in more detail, he has put the information together in a new way. A way that makes being happier accessible now. dr seuss cat in hat book