Myers, a research-oriented social psychologist whose views, he acknowledges, are colored by his Christian values, offers an ``interim report on a fledgling science''— the study of happiness. Noting that the psychological literature on happiness, life satisfaction, and subjective well-being has mushroomed in the past decade or so, Myers (who wrote the standard textbook Social Psychology) reports on what researchers have discovered thus far. Not surprisingly, some myths have been shattered, others reinforced. Age, sex, race, parental status, place of residence, and education appear to have little correlation with happiness- -nor do firewalking, astrology, subliminal tapes, or hypnosis, popular techniques for reprogramming unhappy minds that Myers debunks along the way. What does aid the pursuit of happiness? Optimism, self-esteem, feelings of being in control, satisfying work, realistic expectations, an outgoing disposition, physical fitness and health, friends, a good marriage, and religious faith. Myers suggests that feigning a desirable trait is a good way to acquire it—saying becomes believing as going through the motions triggers emotions, and acting becomes natural behavior. Two psychological principles emerge here: that happiness is relative to prior personal experience (e.g., although money doesn't buy happiness, getting a raise brings a temporary surge of pleasure as one experiences a relative improvement); that happiness is relative to social experience (e.g., comparisons to those having less money, success, intelligence, prestige, or good fortune tend to produce happiness, whereas comparisons to those having more of these prized attributes tend to produce unhappiness). Myers concludes that ``well-being is found in the renewal of disciplined life-styles, committed relationships, and the giving and receiving of acceptance.'' Not another quick-fix book, but a sober look at what's known about the nature of human happiness. (Twenty-five illustrations- -not seen.)
Pub Date: May 19, 1992
ISBN: 0-688-10550-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
The author’s sincere sermon—at times analytical, at times hortatory—remains a hopeful one.
New York Times columnist Brooks (The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement, 2011, etc.) returns with another volume that walks the thin line between self-help and cultural criticism.
Sandwiched between his introduction and conclusion are eight chapters that profile exemplars (Samuel Johnson and Michel de Montaigne are textual roommates) whose lives can, in Brooks’ view, show us the light. Given the author’s conservative bent in his column, readers may be surprised to discover that his cast includes some notable leftists, including Frances Perkins, Dorothy Day, and A. Philip Randolph. (Also included are Gens. Eisenhower and Marshall, Augustine, and George Eliot.) Throughout the book, Brooks’ pattern is fairly consistent: he sketches each individual’s life, highlighting struggles won and weaknesses overcome (or not), and extracts lessons for the rest of us. In general, he celebrates hard work, humility, self-effacement, and devotion to a true vocation. Early in his text, he adapts the “Adam I and Adam II” construction from the work of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, Adam I being the more external, career-driven human, Adam II the one who “wants to have a serene inner character.” At times, this veers near the Devil Bugs Bunny and Angel Bugs that sit on the cartoon character’s shoulders at critical moments. Brooks liberally seasons the narrative with many allusions to history, philosophy, and literature. Viktor Frankl, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul Tillich, William and Henry James, Matthew Arnold, Virginia Woolf—these are but a few who pop up. Although Brooks goes after the selfie generation, he does so in a fairly nuanced way, noting that it was really the World War II Greatest Generation who started the ball rolling. He is careful to emphasize that no one—even those he profiles—is anywhere near flawless.
The author’s sincere sermon—at times analytical, at times hortatory—remains a hopeful one.Pub Date: April 21, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8129-9325-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More Insight Lite from bestselling author De Angelis (Are You the One for Me?, 1992, etc.), this time on the need to stop and smell the roses. Once again, De Angelis takes a common-sense proposition (in this age of anxiety, as she points out with more sincerity than originality, we need to slow down, take a deep breath, and learn how to live in the moment) and stretches it into a book. In the process, she provides generally superficial analyses, credulously regurgitating factoids (``I recently heard a sociologist on the radio share an amazing fact: With the use of satellites, television and computers, you and I receive more information in one day of our lives than our ancestors of several generations ago used to receive in 1000 days!'') and mixing Eastern meditation techniques, neoNative American philosophy, pop psychology, and personal anecdotes into a thin New Age gruel. She liberally salts it with quotes from other grocery store gurus, such as ``Dan Millman, who's written several wonderful books about what he calls the `peaceful warrior.' '' But De Angelis's basic premise, and her advice on how to tune out the static of modern life and concentrate on what matters, are sound, if simplistic. She offers shortcuts to inner peace and harmony for harried Americans eager for a quick fix, including a sort of modern mantra (``Right now'') to help readers focus on the present and a formula for keeping the magic in your marriage (give your partner ``Love Snacks''—a quick kiss, hug, or kind word—several times a day). For people who regret the lack of spirituality in their lives but aren't inclined to seek it through organized religion or rigorous soul-searching, this upbeat, easy-to-digest self-help book could be just the ticket. (Author tour)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-385-31068-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
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