Jack Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 I recently chewed through the Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor and I've become smitten with the work. The book is research focused and contains sources that backs up claims and is well foot-noted. Despite the heavy academic emphasis, the text is easy to read and understand. Achor has developed 7 'principles' for improving work performance through positive psychology. Adopters of positive psychology can expect statistically significant increases in work output and quality of life. The Happiness Advantage starts each principle with a anecdote that is then explained by the author. Next is supporting research and then methods for taking advantage of the principle. As the FDR community loves self-improvement, I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to bring positivity to their work place and personal relationships. This book may be especially helpful for people just breaking out of the matrix and going through the "there's no hope, everything is not awesome" stage of philosophical development. Here are some videos by the author, I don't think they're a substitute for the book, but they'll help get you started. Shawn Achor's Ted Talk (20 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLJsdqxnZb0 Shawn Achor's Talk at Google (1 hour): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muce2TxDlMw I'm interested to hear what the rest of the FDR community has to say on this book, so please leave your opinions. If you haven't read it, I'd suggest you buy it, right after you donate some more to FDR! Thanks, and happy pondering! 2
Recommended Posts