The Happiness Equation

By: Neil Pasricha

Narrated by: Neil Pasricha

Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

What's the formula for a happy life?

Neil Pasricha is a Harvard MBA, a Walmart executive, a New York Times best-selling author, and a husband and dad. After selling more than a million copies of his Book of Awesome series, he now shifts his focus from observation to application.

In The Happiness Equation, Pasricha illustrates how to want nothing, do anything, and have everything. If that sounds like a contradiction, you simply haven't unlocked the Nine Secrets to Happiness.

Each secret takes a common ideal, flips it on its head, and casts it in a completely new light. Pasricha then goes a step further by providing step-by-step guidelines that illustrate exactly how to apply each secret to live a happier life today.

Controversial? Maybe. Counterintuitive? Definitely.

The Happiness Equation will teach you such principles as:

• Why success doesn't lead to happiness
• How to make more money than a Harvard MBA
• Why multitasking is a myth
• How eliminating options leads to more choice

The Happiness Equation is a book that will change how you think about everything - your time, your career, your relationships, your family, and, ultimately, of course, your happiness.

©2016 Neil Pasricha (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"Neil joined the Audi Executive Team on Customer Immersion events across the United States and his lessons were the highlight of the show, engaging dealer associates and invigorating the audience. His talk was on-point, thought-provoking, and received near-perfect ratings. What more could we ask for?" (Peter Donnellan, director of after sales, Audi of America)

"Neil's models for living life provide a clear window for seeing the world and making tough decisions. He made the University of Ottawa buzz with energy and positivity!" (Nicolette Addesa, VP of university affairs, University of Ottawa)

A mix of good and bad

What did you like best about The Happiness Equation? What did you like least?

The Happiness Equation gives some solid and practical ways of producing happiness in one's self. Pasricha's ideas about starting out happy rather than letting your environment determine your happiness has some truth to it; even if it is nothing new. However, some of the examples he used were god awful. He struggles to admit to others that he attended Harvard so he experiences being inauthentic and that makes him feel bad, gee wiz what's a guy to do. It's not relatable to the vast majority of his audience. He goes on about how he was on the bestseller list with his "awesome" book for way too long and how that 'didn't really make him happy.' Instead he suggests you should "want nothing" and that is part of his equation to finding happiness.
It is a flawed equation. Pasricha's ideas are meant to produce a sort of happiness which really is not sustainable in most people. It is a cookie cutter approach to life, making all your variables line up to produce the same happiness ad nauseam. He talks about never retiring and just doing this approach to enjoying your work and what not FOREVER. Not going to happen for 90% of the population who work themselves to death in dead end jobs anyway.
I'm not surprised to find out the author works at Walmart and enjoys their "culture" and is the type of person to own 7 pairs of the same outfit for simplifying his life. These people are the most neurotic and fearful bunch who hate anyone expressing actual emotions other than obsequious joy.

Would you recommend The Happiness Equation to your friends? Why or why not?

No, there are better books out there.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Neil Pasricha?

Liam Neeson. Pastiche's voice is INSUFFERABLE.

Do you think The Happiness Equation needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No thanks.

14 of 16 people found this review helpful

Voice = super annoying

Good message but voice ruined it. Getting a new reader would greatly improve the audiobook.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Solid content but questionable narration.

While the content was solid I believe the audio presentation would have been stronger and more pleasurable to listen to had a professional narrator read the book.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

The Best Book I Have Read on This Subject!

I was desperately looking for a book to guide me back to the self I thought was lost forever! At midlife : I lost my dog, family member, career, savings, home and any real hope for a future. Neil nailed it, no matter where you are in your life's journey, I believe this book will change your negative spiral and set you on a path to your amazing authentic self! Get the book now! Do not waste anymore of your precious time in despair, confusion, what if thinking! Thank you Neil, excellent job!

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Worth it. I'm about to listen to it again.

I've recommended it to friends. It is both enjoyable and informative at the same time.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Bragging

I feel like this book is a five hour platform of the author bragging about his success of his book.
Having a hard time finishing it.

13 of 20 people found this review helpful

A bubbly cloud of existential happy.

This is well written and well read. The author/speaker seems to have a great personality, is connected to his thoughts and ideas in the material and has a great connection with his audience.

Great Self Growth/Help book

Beginning the book I felt it was too simple and the narrator's voice bothered me, but as I continued to listen, his voice and message grew on me as he gave more examples from other's lives and his own. It became more personal and relatable. Worth listening to.

Worth repeated readings

I love this book. I’ve read the Kindle version 4 times and I just purchased and listened to the audible version. It’s a quick read full of just golden nuggets of wisdom. I plan on buying multiple copies of the paperback and giving them away as gifts. I’ll go back to this gem at least once a year to ensure I’m internalizing and practicing the well researched and valuable principles.

Excellent book for sure

I really enjoyed this audio book for sure. The author does a great job narrating and I would recommend this book for any professional in today’s western society, or for anyone actually. There are some great analogies and a couple slow sections but overall greatness here. The author does point out the importance of exercise, but I feel that he could do a better job of exploring multiple options. I don’t recall much detail on spending time in nature, which I think is tremendously important for the people that have the luxury of doing so on a regular basis. Though not for everyone, nature can be very healing and could be explored further to expand upon the happiness equation.