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Tal Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer at Harvard University. He currently teaches the largest course at Harvard on "Positive Psychology" and the third largest on "The Psychology of Leadership"--with a total of over 1,400 students.
Tal consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporation, the general public, and at-risk populations. Topics include happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, mindfulness, and leadership.
An avid sportsman, Tal won the U.S. Intercollegiate and Israeli National squash championships. He obtained his PhD in Organizational Behavior and BA in Philosophy and Psychology from Harvard.
Book Review
Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD (Boston, MA)
I have to admit that when I first saw this book I thought ‘Oh no, not another one of these ‘I can change your life and make you richer, thinner, younger looking in ten days’ type books. However, having read it and tried out some of the exercises, I began to think ‘Hm, this might just work….’
The author, Tal Ben-Shahar is a lecturer at Harvard University, teaching something called Positive Psychology. The main focus of the book is on day-to-day happiness and the pursuit of a meaningful and fulfilling life. Readers are promised ‘a complete crash course that will help them live the life they love and love the life they live’.
The first part of the book explores what happiness actually is, next it considers happiness applied in education, the workplace and relationships. The final part of the book is a series of meditations on a variety of subjects, such as the effects of time pressure and another arguing against the idea that levels of happiness are predetermined and can’t be changed. Each section of the book includes practical exercises or what he calls ‘Time In’ (as opposed to time out), to encourage the reader to reflect on their own experiences and identify what actually makes us happy.
Although the author refers to scientific principles and studies, this book is not at all heavy going. The narrative is clear and statements are backed up by examples and exhaustive research. The author includes a lot of interesting examples from his own life and comes across as warm and genuine, rather than one of those people who you feel just sees the book as a money spinner.
As I started to do some of the exercises I realised there is a lot more substance to this book than some currently on the market which are surrounded by hype and mystical symbolism. It is a book that really makes you think about what happiness (described as ‘the ultimate currency’) really means and puts the relentless pursuit of material wealth into perspective. The section on happiness at work for example, was spot on for me. The exercise on Meaning, Pleasure and Strengths was particularly useful and made me understand how it is really possible to make work more fulfilling.
As the author advises, this book should be used as a work book - it needs to be gone through thoroughly over time. If you are looking for a book to provide you with instant wealth or happiness, this is not the book for you. If, however, you take time to reflect and work through the meditations, I reckon this book would definitely fulfil its promise – to make you happier.
Tricia Smith
