
Stumbling on Happiness
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $13.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Daniel Gilbert
-
By:
-
Daniel Gilbert
About this listen
A smart and funny book by a prominent Harvard psychologist, which uses groundbreaking research and (often hilarious) anecdotes to show us why we’re so lousy at predicting what will make us happy–and what we can do about it.
Most of us spend our lives steering ourselves toward the best of all possible futures, only to find that tomorrow rarely turns out as we had expected. Why? As Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert explains, when people try to imagine what the future will hold, they make some basic and consistent mistakes. Just as memory plays tricks on us when we try to look backward in time, so does imagination play tricks when we try to look forward. Using cutting-edge research, much of it original, Gilbert shakes, cajoles, persuades, tricks and jokes us into accepting the fact that happiness is not really what or where we thought it was.
Among the unexpected questions he poses: Why are conjoined twins no less happy than the general population? When you go out to eat, is it better to order your favourite dish every time, or to try something new? If Ingrid Bergman hadn’t gotten on the plane at the end of Casablanca, would she and Bogey have been better off?
Smart, witty, accessible and laugh-out-loud funny, Stumbling on Happiness brilliantly describes all that science has to tell us about the uniquely human ability to envision the future, and how likely we are to enjoy it when we get there.
©2006 Daniel Gilbert (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The War of Art
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: Steven Pressfield
- Length: 2 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Think of The War of Art as tough love...for yourself. Since 2002, The War of Art has inspired people around the world to defeat "resistance"; to recognize and knock down dream-blocking barriers and to silence the naysayers within us. Resistance kicks everyone's butt, and the desire to defeat it is equally as universal. The War of Art identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.
-
-
War Against Common Sense?
- By Simon Lee on 06-22-19
-
The Surrender Experiment
- My Journey into Life's Perfection
- By: Michael A. Singer
- Narrated by: Michael A. Singer
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Surrender Experiment, Michael A. Singer tells the extraordinary story of what happened when, after a deep spiritual awakening, he decided to relinquish his personal fears and desires and simply let life unfold before him. Singer shares how this pivotal decision to embrace the flow of life led him to extraordinary success, sustained him through times of crisis, and allowed him to cultivate profound inner peace—whether as a young man pursuing a life of solitude in the woods, the founder of a thriving spiritual community in Florida, or the CEO of a billion-dollar medical software company.
-
-
Riveting! Superb!
- By PIA on 06-04-15
-
The Way of the Superior Man
- By: David Deida
- Narrated by: Cecil Archbold
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1997, David Deida released what would become one of the most widely read books on men’s spirituality ever published—The Way of the Superior Man. In this unabridged audiobook of the 20th-anniversary edition, Deida presents a new preface to the now-classic text on how to live a life of masculine freedom, integrity, and authenticity.
-
-
A woman’s thoughts
- By kayleighwllms511 on 02-10-19
By: David Deida
-
The Paradox of Choice
- Why More is Less
- By: Barry Schwartz
- Narrated by: Ken Kliban
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counterintuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on the important ones and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.
-
-
The Tyranny of Pop Economics
- By Darwin8u on 10-28-13
By: Barry Schwartz
-
The How of Happiness
- A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
- By: Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Narrated by: Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You can change your personal capacity for happiness. Research psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky's pioneering concept of the 40% solution shows you how.
-
-
Worth the credit...
- By Photo Guy on 01-21-13
-
The Road Less Traveled
- A New Psychology of Love, Values, and Spiritual Growth, 25th Anniversary Edition
- By: M. Scott Peck M.D.
- Narrated by: M. Scott Peck M.D.
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps no book in this generation has had a more profound impact on our intellectual and spiritual lives than The Road Less Traveled. With sales of more than 7 million copies in the United States and Canada, and translation into more than 23 languages, it has made publishing history, with more than 10 years on The New York Times best seller list.
-
-
Revised Edition Highly Recommended
- By John on 12-10-03
-
The War of Art
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: Steven Pressfield
- Length: 2 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Think of The War of Art as tough love...for yourself. Since 2002, The War of Art has inspired people around the world to defeat "resistance"; to recognize and knock down dream-blocking barriers and to silence the naysayers within us. Resistance kicks everyone's butt, and the desire to defeat it is equally as universal. The War of Art identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.
-
-
War Against Common Sense?
- By Simon Lee on 06-22-19
-
The Surrender Experiment
- My Journey into Life's Perfection
- By: Michael A. Singer
- Narrated by: Michael A. Singer
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Surrender Experiment, Michael A. Singer tells the extraordinary story of what happened when, after a deep spiritual awakening, he decided to relinquish his personal fears and desires and simply let life unfold before him. Singer shares how this pivotal decision to embrace the flow of life led him to extraordinary success, sustained him through times of crisis, and allowed him to cultivate profound inner peace—whether as a young man pursuing a life of solitude in the woods, the founder of a thriving spiritual community in Florida, or the CEO of a billion-dollar medical software company.
-
-
Riveting! Superb!
- By PIA on 06-04-15
-
The Way of the Superior Man
- By: David Deida
- Narrated by: Cecil Archbold
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1997, David Deida released what would become one of the most widely read books on men’s spirituality ever published—The Way of the Superior Man. In this unabridged audiobook of the 20th-anniversary edition, Deida presents a new preface to the now-classic text on how to live a life of masculine freedom, integrity, and authenticity.
-
-
A woman’s thoughts
- By kayleighwllms511 on 02-10-19
By: David Deida
-
The Paradox of Choice
- Why More is Less
- By: Barry Schwartz
- Narrated by: Ken Kliban
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counterintuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on the important ones and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.
-
-
The Tyranny of Pop Economics
- By Darwin8u on 10-28-13
By: Barry Schwartz
-
The How of Happiness
- A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
- By: Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Narrated by: Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You can change your personal capacity for happiness. Research psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky's pioneering concept of the 40% solution shows you how.
-
-
Worth the credit...
- By Photo Guy on 01-21-13
-
The Road Less Traveled
- A New Psychology of Love, Values, and Spiritual Growth, 25th Anniversary Edition
- By: M. Scott Peck M.D.
- Narrated by: M. Scott Peck M.D.
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps no book in this generation has had a more profound impact on our intellectual and spiritual lives than The Road Less Traveled. With sales of more than 7 million copies in the United States and Canada, and translation into more than 23 languages, it has made publishing history, with more than 10 years on The New York Times best seller list.
-
-
Revised Edition Highly Recommended
- By John on 12-10-03
-
The Happiness Hypothesis
- By: Jonathan Haidt
- Narrated by: Ryan Vincent Anderson
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jonathan Haidt skillfully combines two genres-philosophical wisdom and scientific research-delighting the listener with surprising insights. He explains, for example, why we have such difficulty controlling ourselves and sticking to our plans; why no achievement brings lasting happiness, yet a few changes in your life can have profound effects, and why even confirmed atheists experience spiritual elevation.
-
-
Amazing book, terrible choice in voice.
- By JAMES on 02-05-19
By: Jonathan Haidt
-
Thinking, Fast and Slow
- By: Daniel Kahneman
- Narrated by: Patrick Egan
- Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The guru to the gurus at last shares his knowledge with the rest of us. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's seminal studies in behavioral psychology, behavioral economics, and happiness studies have influenced numerous other authors, including Steven Pinker and Malcolm Gladwell. In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman at last offers his own, first book for the general public. It is a lucid and enlightening summary of his life's work. It will change the way you think about thinking. Two systems drive the way we think and make choices, Kahneman explains....
-
-
Difficult Listen, but Probably a Great Read
- By Mike Kircher on 01-12-12
By: Daniel Kahneman
-
Self Reliance
- By: Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Narrated by: Alana Munro
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The most thorough statement of one of Emerson's recurrent themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas. It is the source of one of Emerson's most famous quotations, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." This essay is a considered a watershed moment in which transcendentalism became a major cultural movement. An American classic.
-
-
Don't buy this
- By Leah L on 07-31-16
-
The Artist's Way: 25th Anniversary Edition
- By: Julia Cameron
- Narrated by: Eliza Foss
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Artist’s Way is the seminal book on the subject of creativity. An international best seller, millions of fans have found it to be an invaluable guide to living the artist’s life. Still as vital today - or perhaps even more so - than it was when it was first published one decade ago, it is a powerfully provocative and inspiring work. In a new introduction to the book, Julia Cameron reflects upon the impact of The Artist’s Way and describes the work she has done during the last decade and the new insights into the creative process that she has gained.
-
-
Waste of a credit
- By SWilly on 01-04-22
By: Julia Cameron
-
How Emotions Are Made
- The Secret Life of the Brain
- By: Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology. Leading the charge is psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose research overturns the long-standing belief that emotions are automatic, universal, and hardwired in different brain regions. Instead, Barrett shows, we construct each instance of emotion through a unique interplay of brain, body, and culture.
-
-
Emotions are not things!!!!!!
- By Gary on 03-14-17
-
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
- A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
- By: Mark Manson
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For decades we've been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F*ck positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let's be honest, shit is f*cked, and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn't sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is - a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is his antidote to the coddling, let's-all-feel-good mind-set that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.
-
-
A book for 20-somethings, but not me
- By Bonny on 09-22-16
By: Mark Manson
-
The Psychology of Money
- Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness
- By: Morgan Housel
- Narrated by: Chris Hill
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Money - investing, personal finance, and business decisions - is typically taught as a math-based field, where data and formulas tell us exactly what to do. But in the real world people don’t make financial decisions on a spreadsheet. They make them at the dinner table, or in a meeting room, where personal history, your own unique view of the world, ego, pride, marketing, and odd incentives are scrambled together. In The Psychology of Money, award-winning author Morgan Housel shares 19 short stories exploring the strange ways people think about money.
-
-
Could be summarized in one sentence
- By Alex on 05-30-21
By: Morgan Housel
-
How to Win Friends & Influence People
- By: Dale Carnegie
- Narrated by: Andrew MacMillan
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You can go after the job you want...and get it! You can take the job you have...and improve it! You can take any situation you're in...and make it work for you!
-
-
This is well worth listening too! Main points are.
- By Ralph on 10-21-11
By: Dale Carnegie
-
Four Thousand Weeks
- Time Management for Mortals
- By: Oliver Burkeman
- Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nobody needs telling there isn’t enough time. We’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and the ceaseless battle against distraction; and we’re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient, and “life hacks” to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse. The sense of anxious hurry grows more intense, and still the most meaningful parts of life seem to lie just beyond the horizon.
-
-
Make TIME for this one...
- By Ethan Babbage on 08-12-21
By: Oliver Burkeman
-
Influence, New and Expanded
- The Psychology of Persuasion
- By: Robert B. Cialdini
- Narrated by: Robert B. Cialdini
- Length: 20 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the new edition of this highly acclaimed bestseller, Robert Cialdini—New York Times bestselling author of Pre-Suasion and the seminal expert in the fields of influence and persuasion—explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these insights ethically in business and everyday settings. You'll learn Cialdini's Universal Principles of Influence, including new research and new uses so you can become an even more skilled persuader—and just as importantly, you'll learn how to defend yourself against unethical influence attempts.
-
-
Use the Audible Speed Feature!
- By Sand on 05-30-21
-
Predictably Irrational
- The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
- By: Dan Ariely
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a series of illuminating, often surprising experiments, MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. Blending everyday experience with groundbreaking research, Ariely explains how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces skew our reasoning abilities.
-
-
Good lessons, mediocre science?
- By William Stanger on 02-24-09
By: Dan Ariely
-
Thinking in Bets
- Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
- By: Annie Duke
- Narrated by: Annie Duke
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Super Bowl XLIX, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made one of the most controversial calls in football history: With 26 seconds remaining, and trailing by four at the Patriots' one-yard line, he called for a pass instead of a handing off to his star running back. The pass was intercepted, and the Seahawks lost. Critics called it the dumbest play in history. But was the call really that bad? Or did Carroll actually make a great move that was ruined by bad luck? Even the best decision doesn't yield the best outcome every time.
-
-
Wasn't For Me
- By ❤️One.Crazy&Cool.Family❤️ on 09-04-18
By: Annie Duke
Critic reviews
“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
“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
“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
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The How of Happiness
- A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
- By: Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Narrated by: Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You can change your personal capacity for happiness. Research psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky's pioneering concept of the 40% solution shows you how.
-
-
Worth the credit...
- By Photo Guy on 01-21-13
-
The Upside of Stress
- Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It
- By: Kelly McGonigal
- Narrated by: Kelly McGonigal
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More than 44 percent of Americans admit to losing sleep over stress. And while most of us do everything we can to reduce it, Stanford psychologist and best-selling author Kelly McGonigal, PhD, delivers a startling message: Stress isn't bad. In The Upside of Stress, McGonigal highlights new research indicating that stress can, in fact, make us stronger, smarter, and happier - if we learn how to embrace it.
-
-
Bedtime Reading for Insomniacs
- By Rich on 11-26-17
By: Kelly McGonigal
-
The Blank Slate
- The Modern Denial of Human Nature
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 22 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, one of the world's leading experts on language and the mind, explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. With characteristic wit, lucidity, and insight, Pinker argues that the dogma that the mind has no innate traits, denies our common humanity and our individual preferences, replaces objective analyses of social problems with feel-good slogans, and distorts our understanding of politics, violence, parenting, and the arts.
-
-
Don't bother. Outdated science & poor logic...
- By ejf211 on 03-31-10
By: Steven Pinker
-
The Expectation Effect
- How Your Mindset Can Change Your World
- By: David Robson
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Melding neuroscience with narrative, science journalist David Robson takes lstenersi on a deep dive into the many life zones the expectation effect permeates. We see how people who believe stress is beneficial become more creative when placed under strain. We see how associating aging with wisdom can add seven plus years to your life. People say seeing is believing but, over and over, Robson proves that the converse is truer: Believing is seeing.
-
-
Every leader and teacher must read!
- By Myron Golden on 09-18-22
By: David Robson
-
Social
- Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect
- By: Matthew D. Lieberman
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Social, renowned psychologist Matthew Lieberman explores groundbreaking research in social neuroscience, revealing that our need to connect with other people is even more fundamental, more basic, than our need for food or shelter. Because of this, our brain uses its spare time to learn about the social world-other people and our relation to them.
-
-
"Bowling Alone" For Your Brain...
- By Douglas on 12-08-13
-
The Happiness Hypothesis
- By: Jonathan Haidt
- Narrated by: Ryan Vincent Anderson
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jonathan Haidt skillfully combines two genres-philosophical wisdom and scientific research-delighting the listener with surprising insights. He explains, for example, why we have such difficulty controlling ourselves and sticking to our plans; why no achievement brings lasting happiness, yet a few changes in your life can have profound effects, and why even confirmed atheists experience spiritual elevation.
-
-
Amazing book, terrible choice in voice.
- By JAMES on 02-05-19
By: Jonathan Haidt
-
The How of Happiness
- A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
- By: Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Narrated by: Sonja Lyubomirsky
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You can change your personal capacity for happiness. Research psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky's pioneering concept of the 40% solution shows you how.
-
-
Worth the credit...
- By Photo Guy on 01-21-13
-
The Upside of Stress
- Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It
- By: Kelly McGonigal
- Narrated by: Kelly McGonigal
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More than 44 percent of Americans admit to losing sleep over stress. And while most of us do everything we can to reduce it, Stanford psychologist and best-selling author Kelly McGonigal, PhD, delivers a startling message: Stress isn't bad. In The Upside of Stress, McGonigal highlights new research indicating that stress can, in fact, make us stronger, smarter, and happier - if we learn how to embrace it.
-
-
Bedtime Reading for Insomniacs
- By Rich on 11-26-17
By: Kelly McGonigal
-
The Blank Slate
- The Modern Denial of Human Nature
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 22 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, one of the world's leading experts on language and the mind, explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. With characteristic wit, lucidity, and insight, Pinker argues that the dogma that the mind has no innate traits, denies our common humanity and our individual preferences, replaces objective analyses of social problems with feel-good slogans, and distorts our understanding of politics, violence, parenting, and the arts.
-
-
Don't bother. Outdated science & poor logic...
- By ejf211 on 03-31-10
By: Steven Pinker
-
The Expectation Effect
- How Your Mindset Can Change Your World
- By: David Robson
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Melding neuroscience with narrative, science journalist David Robson takes lstenersi on a deep dive into the many life zones the expectation effect permeates. We see how people who believe stress is beneficial become more creative when placed under strain. We see how associating aging with wisdom can add seven plus years to your life. People say seeing is believing but, over and over, Robson proves that the converse is truer: Believing is seeing.
-
-
Every leader and teacher must read!
- By Myron Golden on 09-18-22
By: David Robson
-
Social
- Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect
- By: Matthew D. Lieberman
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Social, renowned psychologist Matthew Lieberman explores groundbreaking research in social neuroscience, revealing that our need to connect with other people is even more fundamental, more basic, than our need for food or shelter. Because of this, our brain uses its spare time to learn about the social world-other people and our relation to them.
-
-
"Bowling Alone" For Your Brain...
- By Douglas on 12-08-13
-
The Happiness Hypothesis
- By: Jonathan Haidt
- Narrated by: Ryan Vincent Anderson
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jonathan Haidt skillfully combines two genres-philosophical wisdom and scientific research-delighting the listener with surprising insights. He explains, for example, why we have such difficulty controlling ourselves and sticking to our plans; why no achievement brings lasting happiness, yet a few changes in your life can have profound effects, and why even confirmed atheists experience spiritual elevation.
-
-
Amazing book, terrible choice in voice.
- By JAMES on 02-05-19
By: Jonathan Haidt
-
The Denial of Death
- By: Ernest Becker
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1974 and the culmination of a life's work, The Denial of Death is Ernest Becker's brilliant and impassioned answer to the "why" of human existence. In bold contrast to the predominant Freudian school of thought, Becker tackles the problem of the vital lie: man's refusal to acknowledge his own mortality. In doing so, he sheds new light on the nature of humanity and issues a call to life and its living that still resonates more than 30 years after its writing.
-
-
Not for the closed-minded
- By Yhatze on 05-27-17
By: Ernest Becker
-
On the Genealogy of Morals
- A Polemic
- By: Friedrich Nietzsche
- Narrated by: Duncan Steen
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In On the Genealogy of Morals, subtitled "A Polemic", Nietzsche furthers his pursuit of a clarity that is less tainted by imposed prejudices. He looks at the way attitudes towards 'morality' evolved and the way congenital ideas of morality were heavily colored by the Judaic and Christian traditions.
-
-
Be strong, not weak.
- By Wayne on 06-24-13
-
The War of Art
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: Steven Pressfield
- Length: 2 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Think of The War of Art as tough love...for yourself. Since 2002, The War of Art has inspired people around the world to defeat "resistance"; to recognize and knock down dream-blocking barriers and to silence the naysayers within us. Resistance kicks everyone's butt, and the desire to defeat it is equally as universal. The War of Art identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.
-
-
War Against Common Sense?
- By Simon Lee on 06-22-19
-
The Paradox of Choice
- Why More is Less
- By: Barry Schwartz
- Narrated by: Ken Kliban
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counterintuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on the important ones and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.
-
-
The Tyranny of Pop Economics
- By Darwin8u on 10-28-13
By: Barry Schwartz
-
Happy Money
- The Science of Smarter Spending
- By: Elizabeth Dunn, Michael Norton
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Happy Money offers a tour of new research on the science of spending. Most people recognize that they need professional advice on how to earn, save, and invest their money. When it comes to spending that money, most people just follow their intuitions. But scientific research shows that those intuitions are often wrong.
-
-
Long-winded but worthwhile; infuriating narrator
- By maxpower on 05-19-15
By: Elizabeth Dunn, and others
-
Thinking in Bets
- Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
- By: Annie Duke
- Narrated by: Annie Duke
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Super Bowl XLIX, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made one of the most controversial calls in football history: With 26 seconds remaining, and trailing by four at the Patriots' one-yard line, he called for a pass instead of a handing off to his star running back. The pass was intercepted, and the Seahawks lost. Critics called it the dumbest play in history. But was the call really that bad? Or did Carroll actually make a great move that was ruined by bad luck? Even the best decision doesn't yield the best outcome every time.
-
-
Wasn't For Me
- By ❤️One.Crazy&Cool.Family❤️ on 09-04-18
By: Annie Duke
-
Fear and Trembling
- By: Søren Kierkegaard
- Narrated by: Joe Gomez
- Length: 1 hr and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kierkegaard discusses Genesis 22:1-18, the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. He notes that Abraham was all willing to sacrifice his son in the name of god, without tears or complaint; he simply obeyed. He argues that faith requires passion - something that Abraham clearly had and that you must experience it yourself or you could never truly understand.
-
-
Good content, poor delivery
- By Go On on 12-09-19
-
Kluge
- The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind
- By: Gary Marcus
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are we "noble in reason"? Perfect, in God's image? Far from it, says New York University psychologist Gary Marcus. In this lucid and revealing book, Marcus argues that the mind is not an elegantly designed organ but a "kluge", a clumsy, cobbled-together contraption. He unveils a fundamentally new way of looking at the human mind - think duct tape, not supercomputer - that sheds light on some of the most mysterious aspects of human nature.
-
-
An Interesting Overview
- By Gurmukh on 06-07-08
By: Gary Marcus
-
The H Factor of Personality
- Why Some People Are Manipulative, Self-Entitled, Materialistic, and Exploitive - and Why It Matters for Everyone
- By: Kibeom Lee, Michael C. Ashton
- Narrated by: Miles Meili
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Psychologists have identified six basic dimensions of personality. The most recently discovered is the H factor, representing honesty and humility. The authors recount how they found this factor, how it influences various aspects of our lives and why it matters for individuals and for society.
-
-
The H Factor of Personality- A Review
- By Jessica Ticko on 09-22-21
By: Kibeom Lee, and others
-
Flourish
- A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being
- By: Martin Seligman
- Narrated by: Jesse Boggs
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book will help you flourish. With this unprecedented promise, internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman begins Flourish, his first book in 10 years - and the first to present his dynamic new concept of what well-being really is. Traditionally, the goal of psychology has been to relieve human suffering, but the goal of the Positive Psychology movement, which Dr. Seligman has led for 15 years, is different - it’s about actually raising the bar for the human condition.
-
-
A rambling tease.
- By M. Shults on 04-26-11
By: Martin Seligman
-
The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium
- By: Martin Gurri
- Narrated by: Tony Messano
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Originally published in 2014, this updated edition of The Revolt of the Public includes an extensive analysis of Donald Trump's improbable rise to the presidency and the electoral triumphs of Brexit and concludes with a speculative look forward, pondering whether the current elite class can bring about a reformation of the democratic process and whether new organizing principles, adapted to a digital world, can arise out of the present political turbulence.
-
-
New forces break things, but can't replace them
- By Philo on 06-25-19
By: Martin Gurri
-
Positivity
- Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive
- By: Barbara Fredrickson
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
World renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson gives you the lab-tested tools necessary to create a healthier, more vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls "the upward spiral." With Positivity, you'll learn to see new possibilities, bounce back from setbacks, connect with others, and become the best version of yourself.
-
-
This book’s main claim was proven false years ago!
- By Nothing really matters on 06-29-17
What listeners say about Stumbling on Happiness
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Joe
- 07-24-06
Insightful, funny must-read
Gilbert's book is fascinating, funny, and inspirational and should be read by everyone who wants to know more about human behavior or who wants to stimulate their brain a little. One of the first studies Gilbert mentions is one that showed how learning new information actually makes us humans happy. This was certainly the case for `Stumbling,' especially when you add all the witty personalized remarks about one's brother-in-law eating cheese dip on the couch and various other anecdotal comments to help prove his points. On the other hand, while most of the book focuses on fascinating psychological findings and scientific studies, he doesn't tie them in concretely to his ultimate conclusion of why people aren't happy when they think they're supposed to be.
Ironically, Gilbert falls into a trap, which he criticizes within his own book. Two-thirds into the book, the author notes that the ending of an event leaves a more permanent mark than the event as a whole, and this is the case especially when one is disappointed at the end of an event. Gilbert uses `Schindler's List' as an example of how the monologues at the end ruined a great film up until then. The author's memory of the entire film was negative due to this. Unfortunately, after a nearly flawless book, `Stumbling' suffers from a similarly marring section near the end. After fully explaining every point he has until the end, when the last section arrives, Gilbert throws in undeveloped ideas about making money and having children as the root of unhappiness in today's society. It's one of those instances where you can instantly come up with questions that would put his points in doubt.
I was conscious of his overpowering ending theory, however, and I refused to let this cloud my judgement of the entire book as a whole. What `Stumbling' can offer is too good to be tarnished by a last-minute unfounded theory.
Overall, however, this is a very good book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
40 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Jesse
- 06-21-06
Stumbling into Chaos
Alright, it wasn't chaos but I was so determined to understand where Daniel Gilbert wanted to take me that I went out and also bought the book as a guide to follow along while listening because the audiobook was a jumble of ideas, maps, models, data and concepts for me. I don't reccommend buying the hard copy book as well, it's just that I have a very stubborn streak when it comes to understanding what I invest my time and attention in, and, also, I never give up. The book is not about getting to happiness, but in a way it can take you to a point where you could see that getting to happiness is a wasted and unimportant effort anyway. Yeah, I know, it doesn't make sense, but it's the kind of book that becomes one piece of the larger puzzle in a quest to understand ourselves. Not a self help book by any means and I enjoyed it but not in the conventional sense of entertainment but more so in an ideas-retraining session. It was work for me and I consider myself a fairly erudite chap.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- CLA
- 09-14-22
IDK
I don’t know? I thought the writer would be providing a better understanding,
towards ‘Happiness’, the Name. This book however, only left me with the notion, that we should not ‘imagine our future’ happiness. That left me feeling uncertain and UN-Happy.
Will be RETURNING this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chris Gates
- 02-05-16
Wow
Incredible insights into how misguided our predictions on what will make us happy are. This book really encouraged me to change the way I was thinking.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Victor
- 04-04-10
Dan Deserves a Nobel
First:
Great Author. Great Narration.
Second:
Based on research and evidence Dan makes the case for how to be happy, and understand happiness. This is more than a self help book, it is a map to understanding the human condition and making the most of this whole "life" thing we are all trying to get a hang of.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-03-21
No self help guide
By serendipity you sometimes collide with something that is both funny and scientifique not to mention thought-provoking ideas. In the 1980's the professors in my university didn't have that wittiness and eloquence of professor Daniel Gilbert.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 10-24-18
good book. content is very interesting. narrator ir clear and easy to follow. brings up a lot of questions
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ODJ
- 12-15-21
Wowzers
Wow, what a book… I need to listen to that again, there was such a wealth of information. I always thought this book was going to be a lot more woowoo self-helpy, but was super science and studies and hella interesting. Amazing amount of nuggets you can think about and then work into your life.
Author reading the book was great and very entertaining. Overall with it being a lot more science-y, it was also never boring and delightfully funny.
Recommending to myself for a second (and third and forth and fifth…cont’d) listen
And to all y’all that are definitely in the self-help arena, but maybe need a little more science to help piece together some weirdness we all do (even when we know better)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wolfram
- 07-18-15
Dry but worth reading
Honest assessment of human's shortcomings of imagination. He tells us how to overcome them but that we probably will not.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Reinhard A. Oppikofer
- 01-09-24
Very insightful and inspiring
It might be very personal, but I found this book very insightful and inspiring. It doesn’t really solves anything and the points made could just be a few out of a bunch, but it gives you new perspectives on how our minds work and could bring to personal better strategies to cope with it and be happier with our realities. Maybe even shaping our lives a little bit more accordingly. Thanks Daniel!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!