• The Antidote

  • Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
  • By: Oliver Burkeman
  • Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
  • Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (91 ratings)

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The Antidote  By  cover art

The Antidote

By: Oliver Burkeman
Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
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Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

What if ‘positive thinking’ and relentless optimism aren’t the solution to the happiness dilemma, but part of the problem?

Oliver Burkeman turns decades of self-help advice on its head and paradoxically forces us to rethink our attitudes towards failure, uncertainty and death. It’s our constant efforts to avoid negative thinking that cause us to feel anxious, insecure and unhappy. What if happiness can be found embracing the things we spend our lives trying to escape? Wise, practical and funny, The Antidote is a thought-provoking, counter-intuitive and ultimately uplifting read, celebrating the power of negative thinking.

©2019 Oliver Burkeman (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Burkeman has written some of the most truthful and useful words on happiness to be published in recent years." (Guardian) 

What listeners say about The Antidote

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A more authentic way to develop positivity

So much Wisdom, that feel more real and practical and more human focused, than the tons of rinse and repeat shallow positivity literature online. I am challenge to be more at peace with uncertainty instead of cultivating the false sense of control and certainty.

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Best book ever!

Absolutely mind blowing and realistic help how to live a better life. I always doubted that Tony Robbins etc were full of bs, now I know. Feels great to be right and I love that I do not have to force positivity anymore. Good things do not come to those who wish for it and wait, good things come to those who do the work.

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worth it and more

It is mind opening to listen to. concepts are made to reasonable layman's term and more

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just what I was looking for

this book gave me much more than just insights on happiness. it gives a new perspective on life

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Fantastic!

This was so good, I'm going to need to go through it again to make sure I didn't miss anything!

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Well researched

Well researched, orated definitively and thought provoking. It was an enjoyable listening to this book.

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Really helpful and fun.

Really enjoyable. Clear, understandable. Buddhism and Stoicism concepts delivered in great way and applicable for anyone. Thought provoking. Great narrator, calm and clear voice. Story really interesting and fun to listen to. Finished in a few days

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  • Anonymous User
  • 01-11-20

Simply brilliant!!!

I can't recommend it highly enough! Makes total sense, I'm very happy and pleased to have listened to this book, I'm quite sure I will come back to it time and time again... I simply wish there would be more real stuff like this in the world instead of all the brainless obsession to be constantly and exhaustingly happy...

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  • Alžběta
  • 06-03-22

Fascinating and beautifully written.

"The Antidote" is an excellent reflection on embracing failure, uncertainty and death and living well in spite of - or, as Burkeman argues, because of - these undeniable realities of human existence. The book is both deep and moving as well as hilarious and self-deprecating. Burkeman writes beautifully and smoothly and I often stopped whatever I was doing mid-action as I listened, the text so engaging and profound.
I am a very nit-picky and critical listener of audiobooks and few narrators are up to my standards, but Burkeman reads his book flawlessly and listening to him was a joy.
Having read "Four Thousand Weeks" in January, this is only my second book by the author. I was doubtful whether I would enjoy "The Antidote" as much as "Four Thousand Weeks," but the book exceeded my expectations. I am very much looking forward to reading more by Oliver Burkeman.

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  • M E Gammage
  • 10-23-20

Extraordinary

This book left me with plenty of food for thought after each and every paragraph.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 09-09-19

Perfect antidote for self help-poisoned mind

Very refreshing read in case you need a break from all the self help books.
Great narration by the author.
Thanks for writing it Oliver!

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  • V. Jigouline
  • 12-28-21

surpassed my expectations.

Difficult to review such a book. Not smth from self-help section at a book store..Thought-provoking? Non-dogmatic? Thanks to the author for researching the topics and presenting them in a concise but attention-grabbing manner. Will definitely read more. Special thanks to the narrator!

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  • Anonymous User
  • 12-13-20

An interesting read!

Big fan of this book; it takes some more common approaches to happiness and breaks them down in digestible modern ways of thinking. It’s the right balance between thought provoking yet not too dense that it needs your full attention.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 03-26-20

fantastic book

loved this book a book we should all read to better understand ourselves and life itself

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  • patrick
  • 03-03-23

Lucid and Transparent

Conclusion murky. Though I suppose that's the point. Soothing contrast to modern restlessness.

Narrated clearly and concisely. The book ties together fairly well and is a satisfying read as a whole.

I would like to listen again at a challenging moment of my life.

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  • Bezawit Negussie
  • 02-05-23

Must Listen

This is a must listen. Beautifully written and narrated by Oliver Burkeman! Highly recommend reading

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  • MISS ROSLYN REDPATH
  • 02-05-23

uplifting in an unusual way

This book, like all of Oliver's writing makes you stop and think carefully about your life and left me less certain and much more hopeful.

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  • Estefania Londono
  • 06-10-21

Amazing topics and well researched.

I struggled with the narrator's voice, very boring, at the end I seemed to not have a clear conclusion.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 05-07-20

Stoicism, Buddhism and death

A well written and page turning adventure through discovering something better than the pursuit of happiness and positive thinking. Exactly what I needed to read, thanks Oliver, would recommend to all

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  • Shay
  • 10-12-19

This book came highly recommend

This book came highly recommend and it certainly lived up to it! Very well written piece and very thought provoking.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 08-09-23

Entertaining and well-reasoned

Oliver Burkeman writes compellingly and humorously about the human experience. An enjoyable and thought-provoking audiobook to listen to!

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 03-25-23

Lightweight

The pursuit of happiness is such an interesting topic but unfortunately not when it’s written in a style where the author has not real expertise in the subject but relies completely on the work of others to contradict the worthwhile attributes of ‘positive thinking’. His arguments range far and wide as he dips into every concept, and era in which beings have sought solutions to the human dilemma. And all that dipping, name dropping, quoting become incredibly annoying. Mr Burkeman’s book is rather slight instead of offering anything truly meaningful.

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  • Mark White
  • 03-01-23

Pairs well with 4000 weeks

As someone who enjoyed 4000 weeks, the Antidote was a treat with a vaguely similar theme, and tons more interesting references and stories to help make the underlying points stick.

Particularly outstanding in this title is the theme of how goals and ruthless confidence in achieving them can be far more detrimental than creating poor outcomes... it can, as Oliver relates, go as far as being deadly.

If you like having your views on the world and your own existence stirred, then this book is for you.

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  • Stacey Brown
  • 01-04-23

Thoroughly enjoyable

I enjoyed every minute of this book. As a recent philosophy student, and a recovering self-help positivity addict, this book helped me understand many of the concepts that have been on the fringe of my consciousness for a while. I find Burkeman’s style both engaging and soothing, and I’m left wanting to listen to The Antidote again and again so I can wipe away some of the happiness ideals that have left me feeling miserable about my life for so long.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 12-27-22

One of the best

This is an excellent book that both clearly and entertainingly walks through the key tenants of this approach. And this approach is … spot on!

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  • Anonymous User
  • 10-11-22

Oliver has a wonderful style

Some poignant pieces in the book, but I recommend 4000 weeks over the Antidote. Great research and good storytelling style.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 09-17-22

Changed the way I see myself and the world

One of the very few books I can honestly say did this for me. It's not a thriller, but like a plant you nurture, if you invest the time into it (relisten where necessary) the rewards can be both great and rather beautiful.

The author narrates his own work and has a rather soothing voice. So if forced to pick a fault, it would be that this book oscillated between keeping me awake with fascination, and putting me to sleep with his relaxing and paradoxically life affirming tale.

Cannot recommend enough.

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