An Ecology of Happiness


Book Description

The scientific evidence that a healthy planet equals happier humans: “Highly recommended.”—Library Journal We’ve heard plenty about the big-picture damage and danger of environmental degradation. But there hasn’t been much focus on its impact on us and our well-being. You sense it while walking on a sandy beach or in a forest, or when you catch sight of wildlife, or even while gardening in your backyard. Could it be that the natural environment is an essential part of our happiness? In this wide-ranging work, Eric Lambin draws on new scientific evidence in the fields of geography, political ecology, environmental psychology, urban studies, and disease ecology, among others, to answer such questions as: To what extent do we need nature for our well-being? What can be done to protect the environment and increase our well-being at the same time? Drawing on case studies from Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America, Lambin makes a persuasive case for the strong link between healthy ecosystems and happy humans. An Ecology of Happiness offers a compelling, powerful argument to help motivate commitment and action: Whether it’s brilliant fall foliage or birdsong, nature makes our steps a little lighter and our eyes a little brighter. What better reason to protect an ecosystem or save a species than for our own pleasure? “Anyone who has ever delighted in the earthy scent of a springtime stroll in the woods, a walk on the beach, or a starry gaze into the universe now has scholarly proof. Nature, not money or material possessions, makes us happy.”—Ruth DeFries, Columbia University, author of The Big Ratchet




Happiness


Book Description

There is a paradox at the heart of our lives. We all want more money, but as societies become richer, they do not become happier. This is not speculation: It's the story told by countless pieces of scientific research. We now have sophisticated ways of measuring how happy people are, and all the evidence shows that on average people have grown no happier in the last fifty years, even as average incomes have more than doubled. The central question the great economist Richard Layard asks in Happiness is this: If we really wanted to be happier, what would we do differently? First we'd have to see clearly what conditions generate happiness and then bend all our efforts toward producing them. That is what this book is about-the causes of happiness and the means we have to effect it. Until recently there was too little evidence to give a good answer to this essential question, but, Layard shows us, thanks to the integrated insights of psychology, sociology, applied economics, and other fields, we can now reach some firm conclusions, conclusions that will surprise you. Happiness is an illuminating road map, grounded in hard research, to a better, happier life for us all.




The Ecology of Purposeful Living Across the Lifespan


Book Description

This book explores what it means to live a purposeful life and outlines the benefits associated with purpose across different life domains. It also demonstrates that purpose in life is not reducible to constructs such as happiness, well-being, or identity development. The importance of having a sense of purpose in life is attracting renewed attention in both scientific and social arenas. Mounting evidence from intricately designed experiments and large-scale studies reveals how pursuing a purpose can make a person happier, healthier, and even lengthen their lifespan. However, existing texts on purpose have said little on why having has these effects, how it may influence our ability to navigate diverse environments, or how best to consider the construct from a multidisciplinary approach that moves beyond psychology. Recognizing this gap in the literature, this book provides multidisciplinary perspectives on the topic of purpose, and examines what we can do as researchers, interventionists, and society as a whole to imbue purposefulness in the lives of people across the lifespan. It includes contributions from key figures on topics such as identity, health, youth programs and youth purpose, diversity, aging and work.




Steps to an Ecology of Mind


Book Description

Gregory Bateson was a philosopher, anthropologist, photographer, naturalist, and poet, as well as the husband and collaborator of Margaret Mead. This classic anthology of his major work includes a new Foreword by his daughter, Mary Katherine Bateson. 5 line drawings.




Gross National Happiness


Book Description

Guide book for learning colloquialism & honorific.




The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative


Book Description

"Highly informative and remarkably entertaining." —Elle From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to eucalyptus groves in California, Florence Williams investigates the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. Delving into brand-new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas—and the answers they yield—are more urgent than ever.




The Oxford Handbook of Happiness


Book Description

A text for researchers and practitioners interested in human happiness. Its editors and chapter contributors are world leaders in the investigation of happiness across the fields of psychology, education, philosophy, social policy and economics.




Post-Growth Living


Book Description

An urgent and passionate plea for a new and ecologically sustainable vision of the good life. The reality of runaway climate change is inextricably linked with the mass consumerist, capitalist society in which we live. And the cult of endless growth, and endless consumption of cheap disposable commodities isn't only destroying the world, it is damaging ourselves and our way of being. How do we stop the impending catastrophe, and how can we create a movement capable of confronting it head-on? In Post-Growth Living, philosopher Kate Soper offers an urgent plea for a new vision of the good life, one that is capable of delinking prosperity from endless growth. Instead, she calls for a renewed emphasis on the joys of being, one that is capable of collective happiness not in consumption but by creating a future that allows not only for more free time, and less conventional and more creative ways of using it, but also for more fulfilling ways of working and existing. This is an urgent and necessary intervention into debates on climate change.




Being


Book Description

This book introduces you to the science of happiness. It takes you on a journey of discovery through the science of psychology and its newest branch, positive psychology. It includes a review of scientific research on happiness; a recipe for your own happiness-with recipe card; a personal method to distinguish among happiness, pleasure, and contentment to help you focus on what matters most; measures of your happiness, pleasure, and contentment within eleven parts of your life; tools to help you gain true happiness, better health, and increased longevity; personal activities that can make you happy in a moment's notice; and, methods to transform your emotions from negative to positive.




Ecovillages


Book Description

In a world of dwindling natural resources and mounting environmental crisis, who is devising ways of living that will work for the long haul? And how can we, as individuals, make a difference? To answer these fundamental questions, Professor Karen Litfin embarked upon a journey to many of the world’s ecovillagesÑintentional communities at the cutting-edge of sustainable living. From rural to urban, high tech to low tech, spiritual to secular, she discovered an under-the-radar global movement making positive and radical changes from the ground up. In this inspiring and insightful book, Karen Litfin shares her unique experience of these experiments in sustainable living through four broad windows - ecology, economics, community, and consciousness - or E2C2. Whether we live in an ecovillage or a city, she contends, we must incorporate these four key elements if we wish to harmonize our lives with our home planet. Not only is another world possible, it is already being born in small pockets the world over. These micro-societies, however, are small and time is short. Fortunately - as Litfin persuasively argues - their successes can be applied to existing social structures, from the local to the global scale, providing sustainable ways of living for generations to come. You can learn more about Karen's experiences on the Ecovillages website: http://ecovillagebook.org/