Authentic Happiness

Customer Reviews

• The Real McCoy  Nov 2, 2009 (37 of 37 found this helpful)

  Written by the former president of the American Psychological Association, and author of over a dozen books including the popular Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, this title is one of the better selling happiness books out there.
  
  While this is the kind of book I could write a really long review about, I think I'll just discuss what I consider to be the best bits for those looking for ways to become happier- which I think is why most people would buy this book. Soooo.....
  
  1) the book provides the reader with a "happiness formula", which is H = S + C + V. This works out to happiness = your genetic Set point + intervening Circumstances + factors under you Voluntary control. So, since your can't do much about changing your genetics, when it comes to becoming happier, that leaves room for improvement in the areas of circumstances and voluntary activities.
  
  2) the book suggests that if you want to lastingly raise your level of happiness by changing the external circumstances of your life, you should: live in a wealthy democracy, get married, avoid negative events and negative emotion, acquire a rich social network, and get religion. Conversely, you needn't bother to do the following: make more money, stay healthy, get as much education as possible, or try to change your race or move to a sunnier climate. However even if you could alter all of these things, it would not do much for you as this stuff accounts for only a small part of your happiness. On to Voluntary efforts...
  
  3) This is where most of the book spends a substantial part of its efforts showing you how to be happier, and there's a lot of "meat" to sink your teeth into, with sections on how to obtain more satisfaction with your past, what consitutes happiness about the future, and happiness in the present. Also, the book spend much time talking about how happiness can be cultivated by identifying and nurturing our traits, such as humor, optimism, generosity or kindness.
  
  Readers who have read other happiness books will already be well familiar with the idea that the best way to increase your happiness is through intentional or voluntary activities. It makes a lot of sense, as you can't change your genetics, and circumstances are either out of your control, or make very little contributions to your happiness. Like this book, I agree that using intentional activities is the route to go when it comes to raising lasting happiness levels- and this book will help you out with that a lot. Other evidence-based books readers might be interested in that can also increase your well-being include Exercise Beats Depression.

• An extremely worthwhile book  Mar 5, 2003 (229 of 296 found this helpful)

  As a psychologist, I completely understand Martin Seligman's drive to free psychology from its obsession with negativity. Freud, he writes, made many people "unduly embittered about their past and unduly passive about their future," while clinical psychology focussed on diagnosing and treating mental disorders. In his new book, Authentic Happiness, Seligman goes a long way towards breaking psychology free from its love affair with pathology and replacing it with a far more positive approach.

  I don't know of anyone with better credentials to guide readers through what psychology has discovered about happiness. Seligman's own research has contributed greatly to our understanding of the entire range of human experience from profound depression to "abundant gratification." His early, groundbreaking studies of learned helplessness provided great insight into inescapable trauma as a major source of helplessness and depression. He went on to study "learned optimism" as a powerful antidote to depression--his earlier book by that name is invaluable.

  Now, Seligman sets out to provide readers with the insights and tools from the relatively new field of positive psychology. He does this with a rich mixture of anecdotes, personal revelations and research. In addition, he provides frequent self-assessments and exercises. I think that almost anyone who takes the time to read what Seligman has to say, who takes and thinks about the self assessments, and who does the exercises, will start thinking and acting in ways that lead to lasting happiness.

  It's important to realize that Seligman is not a self-help guru by any stretch of the imagination. He is a leading research psychologist who builds on solid experimental findings. (Although the book is vividly written for the most part, at times Seligman's reliance on research findings slows things down.) Still, he is also devoted to the idea of making those often dry experiments as meaningful and useful as possible. He doesn't promise limitless bliss, but what he does offer may actually be reachable by ordinary, unenlightened people like us.

  Early in the book Seligman makes the point that pleasure in itself is not the road to happiness. As we all know, pleasure is fleeting, and pursuing it can easily turn into addiction or futility. Instead Seligman identifies and values a set of nearly universal virtues which he believes lead to deep and lasting gratification. These include wisdom and knowledge, courage, love and humanity, justice, temperance, spirituality and transcendance. "The good life," he writes, "is using your signature strengths every day to produce authentic happiness and abundant gratification."

  What I liked most about this book is that it made me feel good about myself, other people, and the "simple" virtues that make up much of the fabric of life, but which are often ignored and devalued. Kindness, tolerance, competence, interpersonal skills, a work ethic, and faith emerge as vital ingredients of a good, gratifying, happy life.

  Authentic Happiness is not a miracle cure for all unhappiness. It is, however, a wise, well-informed, and extremely valuable guide to a more grounded, heartfelt and gratifying life.

  Robert Adler, Author of _Sharing the Children: How to Resolve Custody Problems and Get on With Your Life_(1988, 2nd. Ed. 2001), and _Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation_ (2002).

• Surprisingly Superficial...  Jul 14, 2003 (64 of 86 found this helpful)

  Having read several of Seligman's other books, I was quite surprised by just how unsubstantial this book is. Largely ancedotal in nature, it provides little in the way of useful information on just how to make the changes necessary to achieve happiness. The chapter on raising children is downright silly- since Seligman apparently has no scholarly foundation on this topic, he fills the chapter with anecdotes about his own experiences in dealing with his four kids. What's particularly funny about this is that at the very end of the book he thanks his SIX children - what happened to the other two, or the first wife for that matter. One might argue it's personal and therefore not relevant, but since he insists on dragging his second family into this book so much, why not talk about the first?
  Finally, the whole concept of achieving authentic happiness is probably a lot more meaningful to someone who spends New Year's eve in the Yucatan on someone else's dime, or who contemplates the meaning of it all sitting poolside in the Bahamas. The final pages on his newfound concept of God read like some silly science fiction short story. This book is a serious misstep from someone who needs to get a foot back in the real world.

• REACHING FOR THE SKY!!!  Aug 25, 2002 (110 of 150 found this helpful)

  This could be the greatest book that I've ever reviewed. Virtually turning psychology
  and psychiatry upside-down and starting virtually from scratch. The author first
  emphasizes the value of modern day psychotherapy. Out of dozens of mental
  diseases, only two are curable. What is the answer? The author is a distinguished
  scientist and author of the best-selling book, "Learned Optimism." Also, the
  leading researcher of depression. So this is really a book that is going to
  create havoc. As did B.F. Skinner's legendary "Beyond Freedom and Dignity."
  Skinner's book failed to change the world as predicted. This book might.
  The main concept of Positive Psychology (this new science) is quite easy to grasp.
  From Freud until now, mental health professionals have been concentrating
  on disease or a negative psychology. Finding out what is wrong with you.
  And they have, for the most part, failed. But what if we increase positive traits
  such as kindness, courage, or humor. Evidence shows that a positive orientation.
  is the best way to dissolve mental illness. And this is what Positive Psychology
  is all about. The website is not operating yet as of this writing (August 24, 2002).
  But please bookmark Seligman's site after you buy the book. In the book, twenty-four strengths are picked out as being most valuable for us at this time. You are
  supposed to pick out the strongest five that you have. These are your five
  "signature strengths." From these, you will model your work life, love life, and personal life. There is a chapter devoted to an update on increasing the strength.
  of Optimism. That chapter is worth the book alone. Finding out our five signature strengths is the core of the book. This can account for tremendous dissatisfaction.
  in our jobs and marriages. This is a bold and frightening book. Mainly because
  Seligman is so highly respected in the world of psychology and psychiatry. If
  Positive Psychology works, Seligman will be bigger than Freud. If it fails, he will
  look like a buffoon. Thank you. I hope this review helped.

• Eye-opening and thought-provoking, well written: a must read for anyone interested in the field!  Sep 8, 2006 (18 of 23 found this helpful)

  In this well-written, very accessible book, Martin Seligman points out that traditional psychology has always focused on the pathology of the human condition: illness and trauma. By understanding more about what makes people exceptionally well - happy, positive, optimistic - and recognizing that those who have these characteristics are more likely not only to have rewarding lives, but also to be successful in the world, Seligman believes that those who are naturally pessimistic or focused on the down-side can shift their perspective and become happier people.
  
  While this is not a self-help book per se, it does offer tools - including a series of self-evaluations (also available at the Authentic Happiness website) - to help readers understand their strengths and how they can adjust their own viewpoint to become happier.
  
  Highly recommended for anyone interested in positive psychology and the power of positive thinking. This book is grounded in solid research; it's not "fluffy" in any way!