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Stumbling on Happiness: An insightful neuroscience self-help psychology book on cognitive enhancement and human behavior Kindle Edition

4.2 out of 5 stars 3,688 ratings

In this fascinating and often hilarious work – winner of the Royal Society of Science Prize 2007 – pre-eminent psychologist Daniel Gilbert shows how – and why – the majority of us have no idea how to make ourselves happy.

We all want to be happy, but do we know how? When it comes to improving tomorrow at the expense of today, we're terrible at predicting how to please our future selves.

In ‘Stumbling on Happiness’ Professor Daniel Gilbert combines psychology, neuroscience, economics and philosophy with irrepressible wit to describe how the human brain imagines its future – and how well (or badly) it predicts what it will enjoy. Revealing some of the amazing secrets of human motivation, he also answers thought-provoking questions – why do dining companions order different meals instead of getting what they want? Why are shoppers happier when they can't get refunds? And why are couples less satisfied after having children while insisting that their kids are a source of joy?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Do you know what makes you happy? Daniel Gilbert would bet that you think you do, but you are most likely wrong. In his witty and engaging new book, Harvard professor Gilbert reveals his take on how our minds work, and how the limitations of our imaginations may be getting in the way of our ability to know what happiness is. Sound quirky and interesting? It is! But just to be sure, we asked bestselling author (and master of the quirky and interesting) Malcolm Gladwell to read Stumbling on Happiness, and give us his take. Check out his review below. --Daphne Durham

Guest Reviewer: Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of bestselling books Blink and The Tipping Point, and is a staff writer for The New Yorker.

Several years ago, on a flight from New York to California, I had the good fortune to sit next to a psychologist named Dan Gilbert. He had a shiny bald head, an irrepressible good humor, and we talked (or, more accurately, he talked) from at least the Hudson to the Rockies--and I was completely charmed. He had the wonderful quality many academics have--which is that he was interested in the kinds of questions that all of us care about but never have the time or opportunity to explore. He had also had a quality that is rare among academics. He had the ability to translate his work for people who were outside his world.

Now Gilbert has written a book about his psychological research. It is called Stumbling on Happiness, and reading it reminded me of that plane ride long ago. It is a delight to read. Gilbert is charming and funny and has a rare gift for making very complicated ideas come alive.

Stumbling on Happiness is a book about a very simple but powerful idea. What distinguishes us as human beings from other animals is our ability to predict the future--or rather, our interest in predicting the future. We spend a great deal of our waking life imagining what it would be like to be this way or that way, or to do this or that, or taste or buy or experience some state or feeling or thing. We do that for good reasons: it is what allows us to shape our life. And it is by trying to exert some control over our futures that we attempt to be happy. But by any objective measure, we are really bad at that predictive function. We're terrible at knowing how we will feel a day or a month or year from now, and even worse at knowing what will and will not bring us that cherished happiness. Gilbert sets out to figure what that's so: why we are so terrible at something that would seem to be so extraordinarily important?

In making his case, Gilbert walks us through a series of fascinating--and in some ways troubling--facts about the way our minds work. In particular, Gilbert is interested in delineating the shortcomings of imagination. We're far too accepting of the conclusions of our imaginations. Our imaginations aren't particularly imaginative. Our imaginations are really bad at telling us how we will think when the future finally comes. And our personal experiences aren't nearly as good at correcting these errors as we might think.

I suppose that I really should go on at this point, and talk in more detail about what Gilbert means by that--and how his argument unfolds. But I feel like that might ruin the experience of reading Stumbling on Happiness. This is a psychological detective story about one of the great mysteries of our lives. If you have even the slightest curiosity about the human condition, you ought to read it. Trust me. --Malcolm Gladwell

From Publishers Weekly

Not offering a self-help book, but instead mounting a scientific explanation of the limitations of the human imagination and how it steers us wrong in our search for happiness, Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard, draws on psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy and behavioral economics to argue that, just as we err in remembering the past, so we err in imagining the future. "Our desire to control is so powerful, and the feeling of being in control so rewarding, that people often act as though they can control the uncontrollable," Gilbert writes, as he reveals how ill-equipped we are to properly preview the future, let alone control it. Unfortunately, he claims, neither personal experience nor cultural wisdom compensates for imagination's shortcomings. In concluding chapters, he discusses the transmission of inaccurate beliefs from one person's mind to another, providing salient examples of universal assumptions about human happiness such as the joys of money and of having children. He concludes with the provocative recommendation that, rather than imagination, we should rely on others as surrogates for our future experience. Gilbert's playful tone and use of commonplace examples render a potentially academic topic accessible and educational, even if his approach is at times overly prescriptive. 150,000 announced first printing.(May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002RI9IZQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial (June 1, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 337 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0676978584
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 3,688 ratings

About the author

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Daniel Todd Gilbert
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Daniel Gilbert is Harvard College Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He has won numerous awards for his teaching and research, including the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology. His research has been covered by The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, Money, CNN, U.S. News & World Report, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, Self, Men's Health, Redbook, Glamour, Psychology Today, and many others. His short stories have appeared in Amazing Stories and Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, as well as other magazines and anthologies. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
3,688 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking, with one review noting how it weaves together facts and theories from psychology. Moreover, the writing is engaging and easy to read, while customers appreciate the author's witty sense of humor throughout the text. Additionally, the book provides insights into happiness, helping readers understand how emotions work, and customers praise its well-constructed presentation style. However, the narrative arc receives mixed feedback, with several customers finding it repetitive.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

248 customers mention "Thought provoking"213 positive35 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, appreciating its insights and informative content, with one customer noting how it weaves together facts and theories from psychology.

"...Daniel Gilbert is however a keen observer of the world and he knows a lot about human nature. So from that angle this book is very intriguing...." Read more

"...much appreciated the way Gilbert builds his case systematically and thoroughly, providing us with a wide array of intellectual fringe benefits in..." Read more

"...The writing zings along, punctuated by wit and surprising self-deprecation...." Read more

"...which of those futures it will most enjoy...Weaving together facts and theories from psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy, and behavioral..." Read more

162 customers mention "Readability"162 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and delightful, with one mentioning it's worth reading multiple times.

"...Be prepared to laugh out loud. This is a very enjoyable reading experience that I can recommend to almost anyone...." Read more

"...Overall, this is a superb book and I highly recommend it if you want to be happier, or even if you're just interested in what makes people tick...." Read more

"...And reading the book's a lot of fun. Gilbert is a truly extraordinary writer...." Read more

"This book is a very enjoyable read, written in a funny, witty, conversational style...." Read more

110 customers mention "Humor"94 positive16 negative

Customers find the book charmingly funny and easy to read, with the authors' witty sense of humor throughout the text.

"...Gilbert is a truly extraordinary writer. The writing zings along, punctuated by wit and surprising self-deprecation...." Read more

"This book is a very enjoyable read, written in a funny, witty, conversational style...." Read more

"...Read this now. The book it thought-provoking, easy-to-read, very witty, and funny too. You'll love it...." Read more

"...are a lot of studies used as supporting evidence, but the writing is so fabulously witty that you don't get lost in the academia of it...." Read more

107 customers mention "Writing quality"86 positive21 negative

Customers find the book well written and easy to read, with one customer noting its precise prose.

"...Maybe I just got his humor and his writing had high creative appeal. I also learned a few new words like panglossian...." Read more

"...Regarding Gilbert's writing style, I think he's quite clear and easy to follow, and he also employs humor throughout the book...." Read more

"...Gilbert is a truly extraordinary writer. The writing zings along, punctuated by wit and surprising self-deprecation...." Read more

"...Read this now. The book it thought-provoking, easy-to-read, very witty, and funny too. You'll love it...." Read more

47 customers mention "Happiness"39 positive8 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights into happiness, describing it as one of the best books on the subject, with interesting psychological observations that help understand emotions. One customer notes that happy people are more productive, while another mentions it makes them feel better about themselves.

"...annoying, but I gradually came to appreciate it, since it lightens the book's atmosphere and thereby helps to sustain the reader's stamina...." Read more

"...of these principles can help anyone make better decisions and live a richer life. For that, it's worth the read...." Read more

"...One aspect of this book I enjoyed is that it thoroughly considered time in its consideration of happiness...." Read more

"...That same wet blanket, though, dampens the intensity of our greatest fears and reassures us that our emotional immune systems will allow us to find..." Read more

27 customers mention "Presentation style"27 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's presentation style, finding it well-illustrated and realistic, with one customer noting its light-hearted approach.

"...A truly creative masterpiece. Below are excerpts from the book that I found particularly insightful:..." Read more

"...In reading this book you will gain a well synthesized and up-to-date look at some of the most interesting research happening in psychology today...." Read more

"...While that presentation was exciting, the audio book is less exciting but richer in content and details. Back to the review:..." Read more

"It's ok , starts slow but opens up as you get into a few chapters" Read more

14 customers mention "Material quality"10 positive4 negative

Customers are impressed with the material quality of the book, noting that it starts out very strong and is well-constructed.

"...In reading this book you will gain a well synthesized and up-to-date look at some of the most interesting research happening in psychology today...." Read more

"The book starts out very strong and engaging but gets weaker through the middle and especially at the end...." Read more

"...His voice is sort of dry but the material is excellent, though you may have to have strong intellectual interests to find his material..." Read more

"...its predictions on information from an often inaccurate and unstable past and present and fails to learn from experience...." Read more

18 customers mention "Narrative arc"4 positive14 negative

Customers criticize the narrative arc of the book, finding it repetitive and lacking a central point, with one customer noting it takes too long to tell its story.

"...The mind misleads, misrepresents, over- and under-estimates, conflates, distorts, ignores, confuses, rationalizes, and otherwise falsely *imagines*..." Read more

"...The book also lacks a central point but still flows well because it is so enjoyable to read and the ideas are each interesting on their own...." Read more

"This book ends abruptly. It is almost all diagnosis and only couple of pages of cure...." Read more

"Gilbert does a great job helping us understand how we perceive our lives...." Read more

a great book about not only happiness, but ourselves
4 out of 5 stars
a great book about not only happiness, but ourselves
This book is stuffed with good many studies and researches all backing up the arguments it is making. Thank you, Mr Gilbert.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2016
    If you want to stumble on happiness start doing good deeds and random acts of kindness. Writing in a gratitude journal also seems to work as does changing your thoughts from negative to positive. While this book may teach you some important things (think about the positives and negatives of any future situation) it is more of an intellectual romp through psychology land.

    Daniel Gilbert is the type of person you'd want to be friends with. He'd provide entertaining conversation, take you to gourmet restaurants and explain why your life is such a surprising journey. Along the way he'd make you laugh a lot. He sure did in this book. I lost track of how many times I laughed. Maybe I just got his humor and his writing had high creative appeal. I also learned a few new words like panglossian.

    What did occur to me while reading was that I think I remember my past experiences far better than the people discussed in this book. I definitely know what would make me happy based on past experiences. I also know what won't make me happy in the future. This book did answer some of my questions however, like why I love to wait for packages from amazon. I will often choose the free shipping just so things get to me slower. This habit of forestalling pleasure brings me a lot of anticipatory joy.

    One thing I didn't agree with was the comments about the movie Casablanca. A person usually doesn't regret doing the right thing. In fact doing the right thing can bring a wealth of happiness. I'm also not sure the author has ever experienced a form of spiritual enlightenment as it is like night and day and you know you've never been that happy before. Some of his comments indicated he may be more concerned with science than religion although religion brings a lot of happiness to people. God was not mentioned except in passing so there was no data on people who have fallen in love with God. I also am completely convinced that some people want to be miserable. They make a choice to continue in their negative ruminations.

    Daniel Gilbert is however a keen observer of the world and he knows a lot about human nature. So from that angle this book is very intriguing. It is a joy to experience his deep thinking and conclusions. I also felt he was very logical and has a good handle on philosophy. He does however believe in evolution if that is of interest to you. Not a lot of time is spent on that subject besides describing aspects of the brain.

    I do personally think it is fun to think positively about the future but I will now use more caution when my imagination runs wild. Will I ever have pool or travel to Paris again? These are things I hope for and it is fun to think about what I will do tomorrow and which book I will read. So hope is definitely a factor in predicting happiness.

    So get ready to have an author uncover some dark secrets about society. Be prepared to laugh out loud. This is a very enjoyable reading experience that I can recommend to almost anyone. Just have some éclairs or chocolate cake handy. You will get hungry for foods he mentions. :)

    ~The Rebecca Review
    31 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2008
    Gilbert notes that the frontal lobe evolved in order to control the environment in our quest for safety and pleasure (avoid/approach reactions). It does so largely by trying to predict the future. Unfortunately, we often stumble because our predictions are so often based on poor information gleaned from our past and present experiences through the filter of our inaccurate memories. In other words, we tend to repeat false assumptions and often poor decisions when predicting our futures so that when we do actually find happiness, it is often stumbled upon rather than planned.

    As Gilbert says, "In order to have a smooth rational-seeming reality, we fill in what we don't know with details that are often wrong and leaving out details that are actually important if we realize them. And we do this seamlessly and largely unconsciously." "We tend to accept the brain's products uncritically and expect the future to unfold with the details- and only with the details- that the brain has imagined" He further states, "What we feel as we imagine the future is often a response to what's happening in the present and we predictably underestimate how different we will feel in the future."

    Inaccurate predictions begets poor decision-making which often leads to an unhappy state. We then tend to rationalize our unhappy outcomes to make them more acceptable to ourselves which means we are likely to make the same choices in the future.

    Any resultant feelings of inadequacy and lower self-worth can lead to even further repetition of poor choices. When in the discontented state, the mind seeks more stability and control. But what does it do? It rationalizes and continues to base its predictions on information from an often inaccurate and unstable past and present and fails to learn from experience.

    For example, if you feel inadequate and odd in the sense you don't feel you fit in, you may seek out and depend on others that you see as being similarly inadequate or odd- the very people, if you do depend on them, that are most apt to reinforce your feelings of inadequacy rather than help give you the stability and centeredness that you seek.

    Thus, the vicious circle continues as one clings to ones old ways...

    So, in the search for stability one may cling to the tottering present in order to seek peace and happiness, but the result is most often a repetition of the past. The myth of Sisyphis comes to mind as one pictures the endless attempts to perform an impossible task such as rolling a boulder part way up a hill that is too heavy to reach the top and doing it over and over again...

    But is it impossible to overcome the tendency to embrace failed thoughts and actions so that at least we stumble less and are happier with our lives?

    Of course and careful observation of others who have found happiness is one recommendation.

    .
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Ashish Singh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superb ending
    Reviewed in India on December 29, 2024
    Full of surprises and at the end will really make you think hard. Some very insightful chapters are at the end so be patient and you will be rewarded.
  • Joseph Hogan
    5.0 out of 5 stars A game changer
    Reviewed in Spain on September 16, 2017
    excellent. well written, relevant, great research and better still, so much food for thought. The point of the book could be summarised in one page, but every page is worth the read. There are a number of books around at present which are reshaping thought and psychology and finally putting the popular therapy style make yourself happy or you don't deserve to live, books out of print. About time! This is ne of them. One extremely important book. Don't expect the writer to tell you how to be happy. In fact, he himself points this out on numerous pages of the book.
    Report
  • Omri
    2.0 out of 5 stars Wrong cover
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on August 20, 2022
    Specifically ordered this version of the book for the cover as shown. However, this less aesthetic cover was sent. Quite disappointed, at least show that there are two versions.
    Customer image
    Omri
    2.0 out of 5 stars
    Wrong cover

    Reviewed in the Netherlands on August 20, 2022
    Specifically ordered this version of the book for the cover as shown. However, this less aesthetic cover was sent. Quite disappointed, at least show that there are two versions.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
  • Jorge Campos
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really about the stumbling part and its understanding
    Reviewed in Canada on October 31, 2018
    TL;DR not a self-help book. This book is mostly about human decision making.

    I really liked the book. And even after reading the warning in the foreword about not being about achieving happiness, I'm a little bit disappointed.

    At some point the author gives an example on how we like more a so-so movie that has a great ending than a great movie that has a so-so ending.

    Throughout the book the explanations about how humans perceive and estimate past, present and future happiness are excellent and funny.

    The book is about decision making and how memories of past feelings, present feelings and the prediction of future feelings will affect our decisions. There really good examples on why these processes are biased and rely sometimes on faulty shortcuts.

    By the end, I felt that this is a great work on a topic that still needs a lot of research. I kind of wanted a definite ending... I know, unjustly... But hey, I'm human after all...
  • Sylvain Thi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sûrement l'un des livres de "développement personnel" les plus honnête
    Reviewed in France on May 2, 2019
    J'ai beaucoup aimé le premier chapitre du livre, où l'auteur nous explique que son livre ne nous rendra pas plus heureux, et qu'il ne va pas changer notre vie. C'est bien à l'inverse de ce qu'on trouve habituellement dans les livres de développement personnel (qui vendent beaucoup de rêves généralement).

    Si vous avez aimé ses TED Talks, c'est dans la même lignée ! Si vous doutez de votre achat, on trouve également des interviews de l'auteur sur Youtube (de 30-60min) qui reprennent les thèmes du livre.

    C'est un beau livre. Je ne suis pas du genre à relire des livres, mais je pense que je relirai celui-là plusieurs fois d'années en années car c'est le genre de livre qui offre de nouvelles choses à chaque lecture !

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