The Art of Making Memories

How to Create and Remember Happy Moments

By: Meik Wiking

Narrated by: Meik Wiking

Length: 4 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

What’s the actual secret to happiness? Great memories! Meik Wiking - happiness researcher and New York Times best-selling author of The Little Book of Hygge and The Little Book of Lykke - shows us how to create memories that make life sweet in this charming audiobook.

Do you remember your first kiss? The day you graduated? Your favorite vacation? Or the best meal you ever had?

Memories are the cornerstones of our identity, shaping who we are, how we act, and how we feel. In his work as a happiness researcher, Meik Wiking has learned that people are happier if they hold a positive, nostalgic view of the past. But how do we make and keep the memories that bring us lasting joy?

The Art of Making Memories examines how mental images are made, stored, and recalled in our brains, as well as the "art of letting go" - why we tend to forget certain moments to make room for deeper, more meaningful ones. Meik uses data, interviews, global surveys, and real-life experiments to explain the nuances of nostalgia and the different ways we form memories around our experiences and recall them - revealing the power that a "first time" has on our recollections, and why a piece of music, a smell, or a taste can unexpectedly conjure a moment from the past. Ultimately, Meik shows how we each can create warm memories that will stay with us for years.

Combining his signature charm with Scandinavian forthrightness, and featuring "Happy Memory Tips", The Art of Making Memories is an inspiration meditation and practical guide filled with ideas to help us make the memories that will bring us joy throughout our lives.

©2019 Meik Wiking (P)2019 HarperAudio

Meik Viking makes another successful book!

I read The Little Book of Hygge and The Little Book of Lykke and his third book is just as good as the other two! I love how he writes about the Danish culture and how it represents happiness in everything that they do! Reading all three of his books encourages me to live life with a purpose!

Meh Narrator, Excellent Topic

“One day, your life will flash before your eyes - make sure it is worth watching.”

There is a plethora of wise advice in this book, but I would suggest reading a physical copy over audio - at least for your initial read. It’s statistic and data dense, and, at least for me, that’s difficult to digest in audio form. I certainly plan to reread this, and highly recommend doing so at the end of the year, in preparation for the start of a new one. I couldn’t have timed this better.

The narrator was a bit on the meh side, a little monotone, though that could have been purposeful for the subject matter. Personally, the narrator kept me from reading straight through. Historically, I like to finish one book before starting a new one, but this took me months because the narration was lacking.

Very enjoyable listen

I loved this book. There were lots of concise action steps to take to improve one’s ability to remember, mixed in with lots of fun examples, humor, & stories. The narration was fantastic!

Pineapple

An excellent listen while preparing for Christmas dinner. Good company is rare and welcome, like a pineapple in a snowstorm. Meik’s words added a warm glow to the house during the cleaning and cooking, a pleasant candlelight for my future self to look back on fondly.

Not art

This is not the art, but the science of making memories. I was expecting something a bit more warm and fuzzy and a bit less dry.