The Happiness Hypothesis Book Summary | All You Need to Know

Happiness is one of the keys to unlock the gate of success and wealth.

There is a saying that says” if you are not disciplined then how can you succeed”

Have you ever been in a situation where you love procrastinating? Then you are not disciplined, because that was my plight 5 years ago, at that time I took everything unserious.

I wasn’t making any progress, I lacked in so many ways and I always blamed myself, people around me, and the universe for being too unfair. All this summed up to one thing, I wasn’t disciplined.

To say it all I wasn’t Happy until I began to read books that I found out that I wasn’t disciplined, from then onwards I was forever happy (happiness became my core principle).

Follow me let me lead you through how you can acquire happiness. I am going to be sharing with you very quickly a book that can help you achieve happiness “The happiness hypothesis”.

What is the Happiness Hypothesis Book?

The happiness hypothesis is a book based on finding happiness and meaning to life and task that motivated the work of philosophy in its origins.

The happiness hypothesis is a book about 10 great ideas Haidt found in the ancient wisdom tests of three great areas of classical thought.  it covers how to construct a life of virtue, happiness, fulfillment, and meaning.

It tensed down to asking questions like;

  1. What path can lead to happiness
  2. Why are we here?
  3. What kind of life should we lead?

Jonathan Haidt accepted the major challenge of addressing these questions and answering them, through a method that combines a healthy eclecticism, expository, balance, and scientific rigor.  

Is the happiness hypothesis a novel?

To sum it all down, the happiness hypothesis is an excellent book about psychology, self-help and it is a basic book. It can also be read like a novel but this depends on the perspective of the person reading it.

The book is a straight ticket to happiness if the author’s principle is well followed.

Read: A Detailed Book Summary of “Find Your Why” by Simon Sinek

How many pages is the happiness hypothesis book?

The happiness hypothesis book comprises 320 pages well defined and explained to a layman’s understanding.

What does Haidt mean by the statement happiness comes from between?

Happiness is not reduced to the affective well-being of an organism adapted to its environment. Man must reflect to build his life according to values.

It can neglect neither its freedom nor its responsibility before the voluntary commitment of its action.

Being happy supposes that man is capable of achieving a balance that overcomes his contradictions and conflicts.

If a man wants to be happy, he must not forget that happiness is the result of conquest first over himself and then over a world in which he must take into account not only by natural forces but also by other men.

What can we do to have a good life?

The answer can only be found in understanding what kind of creatures we are. We are social creatures who need love and attachment, no man is an island on his own and we are industrious creatures who need to be competent and able to enter a state of vitality and commitment to our works.

About the book

Name of book: The happiness hypothesis: Finding modern truth In ancient wisdom.

Authors Name: Jonathan Haidt

Date of publication: 2006

Publisher: Basic books

Edition: 1st

Genre: psychology

Length: 320

About the Author

Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of ethical leadership at the Nyu-stem school of business. He received his B.A from yare University in 1985.

Jonathan obtained his Ph.D. from the University of penny Sylvania in 1992. He then did his post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago and Orissa, India.

He was a professor at the University of Virginia from 1995-2011.

Later on, he joined a Stern school of business.

His main focus is on morality which took account of its emotional foundations, cultural variations, and developmental courses.

He is the co-developer of moral foundations theory and research sits @ YourMorals.org.

His Ted talks which get over 3 million views feature political psychology, religion, and political polarization.

He is the author of more than 90 academic articles and two ancient pieces of wisdom and he is also a New York Times bestseller on psychology and self-help.

The Happiness Hypothesis Book Summary

Jonathan Haidt sets out in his book to discover how we can find happiness and the meaning of life.

Modern Life is full of traps and we are deeply influenced by what others think or say about us and we are used to pursuing goals that will impress others and raise our relative rank. Our rank is more concerned with prestige rather than with happiness.

However, happiness is not something that can directly be obtained, found, or attained. We have to create the right conditions and then wait.

As the plant needs sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection with something tangible and bigger than themselves.

If we succeed in the task of handcrafting ourselves searching to find this coherence happiness, then the meaning will eventually emerge.

Haidt extracts lessons on how we can train our brains to be more optimistic, build better relationships and achieve a sense of balance.

Additionally,

He also explored how we can overcome the obstacles to well-being that we placed in our way. He draws on sources as diverse and Buddha, Benjamin Franklin, and Shakespeare to show how we can find happiness and meaning in life.

Humans are social creatures and they reciprocate to love and connection with others. A good relationship makes people happy, if you want to predict how happy someone is or how long they will live, then you can only do this by finding out what their social relationships are.

Having strong social relationships enriches the immune system, extends life, speeds recovery, and helps in reducing the risk of anxiety disorders and depression.

We are ultra social species, we are full of emotions finely tuned to love, we are friendly, we help and intertwine our lives with others.

Jonathan Haidt hit the point straight, the objective of his book the happiness hypothesis was accurately met, I recommend this book to everyone who is out there searching for happiness, go for this book and you will find happiness.

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FAQ on the happiness hypothesis review

Is the happiness hypothesis book: finding modern truth in ancient wisdom by Jonathan Haidt worth reading?

Yes, it is 100% worth reading, reading the happiness hypothesis can grant you happiness if we’ll read and followed it.

How can I get the happiness hypothesis book?

You can get the happiness hypothesis book by Jonathan Haidt on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com

How can I truly find happiness?

Happiness lies within you until you begin to understand yourself, that is when you will find true happiness.

How many days or months does it take to read the happiness hypothesis book?

This would be based on how consistent you are to reading and learning, for an average person that is working at least a maximum of two weeks is okay to finish the book, then for an average person that is not working at least a maximum of one week is okay to finish this book

What age group can read the happiness hypothesis book?

Anybody as from 13 years up can read the happiness hypothesis book, this is because everyone needs to be happy.

Conclusion

To increase our happiness we need to understand the human being in general (how they  behave, how they talk and most of all their minds, their thought and their personalities in particular), then with this knowledge we can improve our lives

The happiness hypothesis will provide you with a better understanding of human social behavior and allow you to increase happiness.

The happiness hypothesis book is also for people who desire to be happy. This book will also teach you how to construct a life of virtue, happiness, fulfillment, and meaning, not only will it teach you this. However, it is also going to help you Know your strengths, weaknesses and improve your work and relationship with people.

I would love to end this with a unique quote…

“To design a better world….first you have to love life and accept it as a gift”.

References

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