Happier

Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment

By: Tal Ben-Shahar

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

Length: 4 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Can we really learn to be happy? Yes, we can. Each semester, nearly 1,400 students sign up for Harvard professor Tal Ben-Shahar's life-changing class "How to Get Happy". Currently it's the hottest course at Harvard, taken by 20 percent of graduates.

In Happier, Professor Ben-Shahar brings the ideas of the Ivory Tower to Main Street, distilling the lessons and exercises from his course into an audio trove of practical wisdom. Grounded in the Positive Psychology movement, based on years of researching the works of scientists, academics, and philosophers, Happier emphasizes the importance of pursuing a life of both pleasure and meaning. Lessons, exercises, and "Happiness Boosters" cover self-esteem, empathy, friendship, love, achievement, creativity, spirituality, and humor.

Questions will help listeners identify activities that will make them happier immediately, as they apply what they've learned to school, work, and personal relationships. You'll discover that happiness, not money, is the ultimate currency, that we can't be happy unless we first give ourselves permission to be human, and that happiness isn't so elusive after all.

©2007 Tal Ben-Shahar (P)2007 HighBridge Company

Packed with Information

This book was jam packed with information and would probably be best read instead of listened to. It was full of ideas and quizzes that need to be absorbed and seen or written down. If you are primarily an auditory learner, it would be fine.

Adorable voice and book

Finally I found a book that gets straight to the point with good examples and leaves food for afterthought!

Excellent reading, complete and objective

Loved it! Very easy and complete reading about positive psychology. Has exercises and reflection moments

Simple and Engaging

I listened to this audio book on the drive to and from school. Tal-Ben Shahar's work is seminal to positive psychology and the the inner work of happiness.

The reader does a fantastic job conveying Shahar's passion and insight.

fun!

I love this book! This is a great audiobook to listen to again and again.

Ready for self-examination

Perfect first step in making more of your life. A simple, easy to follow plan.

For School it was great!

This book was one that I needed for a course that I am taking in college.
I bought the hard copy of the book but was having a hard time finding time to read it.

Thank goodness is was here. For I listen to it on my way to school and I feel like I get more out of it by listening.

Revolution of happiness!

A good piece, real conversations we all need to have! Happy to being following this path!

this audio format is not true to the book

I own a copy of Happier, have read it more than once, and tend to reference certain portions from time to time; I find it both meaningful and helpful. I do agree with the reviewer who stated this book is probably better read than listened to, given the exercises included. That said, having an audio version as well is a great convenience.

One criticism of the author, Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar: there are a few passages that come off as boasting, and I think it's misplaced in this "self-help" book - I would suggest that any comments of a bragging nature should be left to an autobiography, and not a book that people select because they are trying to get to a better place in their own personal lives. The anecdotal information to which I am referring could have easily been written in a generalized form without giving such explicit detail. Although we all should be able to brag and pat ourselves on the back sometimes, this book is simply not the place to do it.

Formatting Criticism:
1 - the table of chapters provided thru the audio player lacks titles and is also wrong... this is a 3-part book containing 15 chapters plus the conclusion (unless there is another edition out there somewhere that is different). the narrator does announce the chapters as he reads thru them, but having them properly outlined by audible shouldn't be too much to ask.

2 - the narrator announces chapter 5, and then about 35 minutes later announces chapter 7 ... where did chapter 6 go? turns out they rewrote the 2 chapters as one. Not sure why they did this. Had Dr. Ben-Shahar written his book this way, I'm sure he would have had the foresight to renumber the chapters properly.

3 - including the preface, or at least parts of it would have been nice as it provides what I believe to be valuable information about the field of positive psychology.

Good book

Very inspiring and motivating book! I recommend it to everyone who looks for some type of motivation.