Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?


Book Description

A New York Times bestseller: The “magnificent” memoir by one of the bravest and most original writers of our time—“A tour de force of literature and love” (Vogue). One of the New York Times’ “50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years” Jeanette Winterson’s bold and revelatory novels have established her as a major figure in world literature. Her internationally best-selling debut, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, tells the story of a young girl adopted by Pentecostal parents, and has become a staple of required reading in contemporary fiction classes. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a “singular and electric” memoir about a life’s work to find happiness (The New York Times). It is a book full of stories: about a girl locked out of her home, sitting on the doorstep all night; about a religious zealot disguised as a mother who has two sets of false teeth and a revolver in the dresser, waiting for Armageddon; about growing up in a north England industrial town now changed beyond recognition; about the universe as a cosmic dustbin. It is the story of how a painful past, rose to haunt the author later in life, sending her on a journey into madness and out again, in search of her biological mother. It is also a book about the power of literature, showing how fiction and poetry can form a string of guiding lights, or a life raft that supports us when we are sinking. Witty, acute, fierce, and celebratory, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a tough-minded story of the search for belonging—for love, identity, home, and a mother.




You Can Be Happy No Matter What


Book Description

Happiness is Not Around the Corner; it’s Right Here, Right now Do you find yourself waiting for the best part of your life to begin? Or those things will get better soon? Dr. Richard Carlson, author who helped millions of readers stop sweating the small stuff, reminds us all You Can Be Happy No Matter What. Interactive Edition: In this interactive edition, people can experience the book in a wholly new way with Carlson’s narration, illuminating passages about living joyfully in the present moment. This handbook for happiness is based on proven psychology, the Principles of Thought, covering thought, mood, separate realties and feelings. Every moment of every day, our minds are working to make sense out of what we see and experience; yet this is one of the least understood principles in our psychological makeup. Carlson’s breakthrough work here in understanding the nature of thought can be the foundation to a fully functional life. Dr. Richard Carlson’s wise words in his own voice bring new dimension and understanding of awakening to your own happiness. This superlative interactive book aids anyone in understanding the ups and downs of life and how to build resilience. Most importantly, Carlson reminds us to not let the downside get in the way of living joyfully, despite the daily challenges we all face. In his own words, “Happiness is a state of mind, not a set of circumstances.”




You Can Choose to be Happy


Book Description

Dr. Stevens' research identifies specific learnable beliefs and skills--not general, inherited traits--that cause people to be happy and successful.




Being Happy: You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lead a Richer, Happier Life


Book Description

A brilliant guide to living a happier life (even if it's not so perfect) Bestselling author Tal Ben-Shahar has done it again. In Being Happy (originally published in hardcover as The Pursuit of Perfect, 978-0-07160882-4), he gives you not only you the theory but also the tools to help you learn how to accept life as it actually is instead of what you think it should be. By using the science of positive psychology along with acceptance, Ben-Shahar shows you how to escape the rat race and begin living a life of serenity, happiness, and fulfillment. With the same technique that made Happier such a great success, Being Happy shows you how to let go of unrealistic expectations and truly accept your emotions for a more serene life. Praise for Ben-Shahar: "[Tal Ben-Shahar has] a rare brand of good sense that is embedded in scientific knowledge about how to increase happiness." -- Martin E. P. Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness "Ben-Shahar teaches that happiness isn’t as elusive as people think." -- Publishers Weekly "One of the most popular teachers in Harvard’s recent history." -- Ellen J. Langer, author of Mindfulness and On Becoming an Artist Tal Ben-Shahar is the New York Times bestselling author of Happier. He consults and lectures around the world to executives in multinational corporations, the general public, and at-risk populations. For more information, visit www.talbenshahar.com




How to Be Miserable


Book Description

In How to Be Miserable, psychologist Randy Paterson outlines 40 specific behaviors and habits, which—if followed—are sure to lead to a lifetime of unhappiness. On the other hand, if you do the opposite, you may yet join the ranks of happy people everywhere! There are stacks upon stacks of self-help books that will promise you love, happiness, and a fabulous life. But how can you pinpoint the exact behaviors that cause you to be miserable in the first place? Sometimes when we’re depressed, or just sad or unhappy, our instincts tell us to do the opposite of what we should—such as focusing on the negative, dwelling on what we can’t change, isolating ourselves from friends and loved ones, eating junk food, or overindulging in alcohol. Sound familiar? This tongue-in-cheek guide will help you identify the behaviors that make you unhappy and discover how you—and only you—are holding yourself back from a life of contentment. You’ll learn to spot the tried-and-true traps that increase feelings of dissatisfaction, foster a lack of motivation, and detract from our quality of life—as well as ways to avoid them. So, get ready to live the life you want (or not?) This fun, irreverent guide will light the way.




Solve for Happy


Book Description

In this “powerful personal story woven with a rich analysis of what we all seek” (Sergey Brin, cofounder of Google), Mo Gawdat, Chief Business Officer at Google’s [X], applies his superior logic and problem solving skills to understand how the brain processes joy and sadness—and then he solves for happy. In 2001 Mo Gawdat realized that despite his incredible success, he was desperately unhappy. A lifelong learner, he attacked the problem as an engineer would: examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic. Eventually, his countless hours of research and science proved successful, and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness. Thirteen years later, Mo’s algorithm would be put to the ultimate test. After the sudden death of his son, Ali, Mo and his family turned to his equation—and it saved them from despair. In dealing with the horrible loss, Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of “moonshot” goal that he and his colleagues were always aiming for—he would share his equation with the world and help as many people as possible become happier. In Solve for Happy Mo questions some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence, shares the underlying reasons for suffering, and plots out a step-by-step process for achieving lifelong happiness and enduring contentment. He shows us how to view life through a clear lens, teaching us how to dispel the illusions that cloud our thinking; overcome the brain’s blind spots; and embrace five ultimate truths. No matter what obstacles we face, what burdens we bear, what trials we’ve experienced, we can all be content with our present situation and optimistic about the future.




Can You Be Happy for 100 Days in a Row?


Book Description

An inspirational, fun, and informative visual guide to help readers realize long-term happiness and fulfillment (and complete the wildly popular #100happydays challenge).




I Can Make You Happy


Book Description

Do you want to be happier? Do you want to stop feeling bad right now? Do you want to experience greater joy than ever before? What if it was possible to feel happier than you had ever imagined before? It doesn’t matter whether you’re sad, bored, or depressed—or even if you’re already quite content—Paul McKenna can help you become a whole lot happier! Scientific research reveals that our levels of happiness aren’t fixed; we can change them through our thoughts and actions. Dr. McKenna has spent the past 25 years developing a system that can have an immediate, measurable impact on people’s emotional well-being. This book uses the latest, most powerful psychological techniques and a downloadable guided hypnosis session to help readers feel really good right now. The human mind is like a computer, with its own software that governs how we think and act. Most human problems are caused by negative programs running in the unconscious mind. This book and audio session help you install positive programs that seek out and magnify the factors that create happiness. Use it to take control of your life and start feeling happier today!




You Can be Happy


Book Description

Do you feel that there’s room for a bit more happiness in your life? A lot more even? Then here’s the good news: you have much more control over your happiness than you probably think. And in this book, you’ll discover the often simple, but easily overlooked, steps you can take to reclaim more of those good feelings. What’s more, every single suggested action in this book has been scientifically proven to have a positive and lasting effect on happiness. There’s no hype here, just plenty of real hope. Better still, there’s no need for radical life change and no complicated programme to follow. Instead you’ll find a raft of small and simple steps that will, over time, add up to a life with more pleasure and meaning - and with fewer negative emotions dragging you down. Nobody else can make you happy. But you can. Here’s all the help you need. Daniel Freeman is Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford University. Jason Freeman is a writer and editor.




Happy for No Reason


Book Description

Everyone wants to be happy--yet so many people are unhappy today. What are they doing wrong? Clearly, a new approach is needed. Self-help guru Shimoff presents three new ideas and a practical program to change the way readers look at creating happiness in their lives: 1. Happiness is not an emotion, a spike of elation or euphoria, but a lasting, neuro-physiological state of peace and well-being. 2. True happiness is not based on what people do or have--it doesn't depend on external reasons or circumstances. 3. Research indicates that everyone has a happiness set-point. No matter what happens to a person, they will tend to return to a set range of happiness. This book shows how you can actually reprogram your set-point to a higher level.--From publisher description.