Book Review – Happier (by Tal Ben-Shahar)
Book broken down into three sections…
- What Is Happiness?
- Happiness Applied
- Meditations On Happiness
What is Happiness?
The book sets out to ask the “question of questions”. How can I help myself, other people and society become happier?
In this opening section, Ben-Shahar introduces a tortured, redundant metaphor: The Hamburger Model. In essence, people can be placed into four archetypes (rat-race, nihilism, hedonism and happiness) based around the goals of present and/or future happiness. So, for example, the “hedonist” seeks present happiness at the detriment of future happiness. And (as my Perspective PowerTM people will already know) each of the four archetypal perspectives drives different thoughts, feelings and actions.
In a nutshell: The goal is to maximize time spent occupied with activities that offer present and future benefit. In other words, enjoy the journey as we climb towards the mountain’s peak…No need for any hamburger references!
If you’ve noticed that this advice also sounds a bit obvious…well spotted! More on that later in the review.
Happiness Defined
In fairness, I have found one of Ben-Shahar’s observations to be a valuable, clarifying perspective. Quoting the author: “Happiness is the highest on the hierarchy of goals—the ultimate currency—the end toward which all other ends lead.” A well-argued plea for reevaluating and possibly changing some of your professional priorities.
On a related note, the author discusses the relationship between happiness and wealth, presenting (frequently quoted) research studies showing that despite a rising level of material prosperity, depression rates are also increasing.
Happy Equals…
According to Ben-Shahar: Happiness equals meaning plus pleasure The ramifications of this formula are explored, such as the importance of pursuing goals that provide both pleasure and meaning.
The author also introduces an useful strategy called the “Want To: Have To Ratio”. The objective is to pump up the amount of “what-to” activities and reduce the amount of “have-to” drudgery.
Happiness Applied
The middle section of the book is a discussion of happiness in schools, the workplace and relationships. While this section didn’t have the broad sweep of the first, it contained some interesting observations and a useful strategy when choosing a career: The MPS (Meaning / Pleasure / Strength) Process.
The MPS Process consists of a Venn diagram, where the point of intersection of the meaning, pleasure and strength circles represents the locus of greatest happiness. Of particular note, the “strength” question – what am I good at? – is asked after the meaning/pleasure question: what do I want to do?
Meditations On Happiness
I found this section to be the most disappointing of the three. In his seven “meditations” Ben-Shahar repeatedly springboards from interesting observations into bog-standard strategies and common sense. (Frankly, when I read a book written by a Harvard professor, I expect uncommon insight…not common sense.)
When seeking happiness, the author warns against “self-sabotage”. He also recommends taking time to “savor the moment”. In another chapter he suggests the reader speculate on the happiness advice a future you would give to the person you are today.
He also discusses “appreciative inquiry,” reviewing past happiness and applying your insights towards fashioning a happier future. However, at no time does the author address the problem of assessing past and predicting future happiness through the cloudy lens of today’s point of view…This is a gross omission of humongous relevance! (To learn more about this fascinating aspect of happiness, check out Daniel Gilbert’s superb book: Stumbling On Happiness.
Conclusion
The cover copy states that the author’s happiness lecture series is “Harvard University’s most popular and life-changing course”. And yet, in the preface, Ben-Shahar himself states: “…more than 20 percent [of his students] noted that the course improves the quality of one’s life.”
The author seems blissfully unaware that 20 percent is a terrible figure! (If only 20 percent of the attendees at my Perspective PowerTM workshops considered that I’d improved the quality of their life…I’d never be invited back!)
On the plus side: In my daily life, I’ve certainly become far more aware of happiness as the “ultimate currency”. However, if you really want to learn about the science of happiness, you would be better served reading: The How Of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky
Bottom line: A couple of clarifying points and useful strategies, but overall, disappointing.
We now turn to Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, Annie McKee and Richard E. Boyatzis. Goleman is also the author of "Emotional Intelligence" and "Working With Emotional Intelligence".
