lightreads: a partial image of a etymology tree for the Indo-European word 'leuk done in white neon on black'; in the lower left is (Default)
2008-10-24 10:48 pm

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Stumbling on Happiness.

Not self-help. One of those "a psychology professor explains some aspect of behavior to us with quirky examples and simplified study synopses and sells a lot of books" books. A pretty good one, too. Principally about why it is that we aren't very good at projecting future sources of happiness. Practically speaking, why we suck at picking spouses and careers. Except when we don't, and why that might be, too.

Pretty interesting all around, and I generally find this category of books frustratingly surfacey. But I read neuroscience textbooks for fun, so the hell do I know? Anyway, nicely put together, sufficiently thoughtful while still covering a lot of ground, occasionally even funny. Good times.