Stumbling on Happiness

By: Daniel Gilbert

Narrated by: Daniel Gilbert

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

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

I liked that it is based on scientific facts

Nice book, and accurate, based on scientific experiments well explained, I recomend it for all audience

Book Summary - We tend to exaggerate everything.

Didn't like that it's extremely repetitive. It could have been at least, half the length.
I liked that it has a lot of different scenarios that help visualize and understand the point being discussed

Excellent Observation of Human Nature

After recently making a major life changing decision, I wondered why the reality of this change didn't seem to match my expectations. Where did I go wrong in my thinking? Dr. Gilbert answers this question and others like it. This is a fascinating view of the human mind, and it's search for happiness. The conclusions are simple, but journey to reach them will change the way you think.

thought-provoking

Lots of thought-provoking info in this book, though I found the author's pomposity kind of grating. Still, it's a cheap way to get a really stimulating undergraduate psychology course.

Fascinating

A smart, entertaining, and illuminating discussion on what happiness really is. This will open your mind to a different reality. Highly recommended.

Falls short at the end

This is an interesting book on what is going on inside the human brain. I found many intriguing thoughts and examples. Unfortunately, at the end, the author draws a conclusion which I feel sidesteps the focus of the book. He substitutes the best means of predicting one's future feelings, for how to maximize the positive feelings themselves (admittedly, knowing the most likely state of one's future feelings does provide some guidance on how to have the most positive feelings - but in a conveluted way).

Happiness is listening to this book!

Daniel Gilbert is a riveting narrator and writer. Humorous, fast-paced and full of descriptive vignettes, I found myself smiling, then laughing out loud as I listened. I liken Mr. Gilbert to Bill Bryson in his ability to tell a story like a raconteur. His voice is easy to listen to, not grating or monotone like some others. This topic is much more enjoyable than I would have imagined, and one I will recommend to others. Reminds of me Freakonomics with its scientific base, but cool stuff we never knew.

Sound level too weak

Fdffr jjjjj eeeee jujuuu cfdd hyuyyy de bhhh dettg hjgfd sef ghh dhhyi fcth sfgv

ספר מעורר מחשבה. הרבה מאוד נדע מעבר לחומר ומוגש נפ

ההקראה של גילברט מעולה. הרבה הומור וחן ההופכות כל הסבר קשה של נושא סבוך למעניין וקליל. ממש מומלץ

wonderful

I've read / listened to this book many times now.

On the first read I thought it was wonderful, but each time after that... it gets better... and I get something extra out of it.

There aren't many books that live up to their hype, but this one does.

Read it for interest and entertainment...then read it again just before you buy something you think will make you happy.