The Happiness Advantage


Author: Shawn Achor
Rating: 2/5

The main concept presented in the book is that the very American (and puritan) equation of:

the wrong equation
is substantially flawed.

Instead, corroborated by the recent developments of positive psychology, a better recipe to self-actualization might instead be:

the right equation

Therefore, the author tries to convey a series of guidelines to help the readers collect happiness boosts during the day in order to pursue their goals.

However, a strong emphasis is put on the results of these methods (rather than their application) which are always presented by the perspective of the author via the numerous talks and presentations he’s made on this idea and the feedback that he’s received first-hand.
Thus it lacks objectivity, there are no studies or graph in the book to corroborate what’s being told, only the author’s word.

I enjoyed reading about the methodologies that I could apply in my everyday life to be more present in the moment and capitalize on my state of mind, for example via the gratitude journal (that I strongly recommend), but could not stand the numerous claims of effectiveness of these methods that could not be verified.

If you’re looking for an introduction to positive psychology this book can help you form your “self-help” mindset and might even aid in getting started in a journey to a happier life, but you need to shed some critical thinking.

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