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Reddit mentions of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

Sentiment score: 27
Reddit mentions: 34

We found 34 Reddit mentions of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. Here are the top ones.

The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
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Found 34 comments on The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom:

u/Burrito_Capital · 27 pointsr/childfree

You are subjecting yourself to the Sunk-Cost Fallacy and need to realize ALL the potential future fun you can have is subject to being lost.

Intellectually, you may know this, emotionally you may not. the Happiness Hypothesis is a good read on how to help get the rider and the elephant (intellect and emotions) to work better together.

u/absolewdly · 19 pointsr/Animemes

This is a popular classic, and the author is actually a biologist, not some politician or professional writer that has no idea about what he's rambling on. (Though he has taken on a political atheist agenda in more recent works it seems.)

Mildly relevant, the author of the book is also the guy that coined the term "meme" as a kind of concept for genes on the civilization-level.

You may also want to look into this one, again written by an actual scientist, though merely a psychologist. It really goes into detail how dysfunctional the human mind is and how futile it is to chase after "happiness" (whatever that may be) - so much so that halfway through the book the author concludes that those brief weeks or months after finishing high school and before going on to college was the happiest he was likely to ever be, so why go on living? But then the book takes on a more theological direction and goes on about how the point of life is not hedonism but doing something for the greater good and what not, and it's fairly downhill from there - so be wary. But he's nevertheless adamant about distinguishing facts (what is) from ideals (what should be) - as any decent scientist would.

edit:
Also probably mildly relevant for the second book, given the sub we're in: there's a bit in there about why incest is still such a taboo for us, despite humans being so supposedly "enlightened".

u/RideFarmSwing · 19 pointsr/AskMenOver30

Sounds like you have some negative biases in your thought patterns. Have you ever heard of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? On the simplest level its about recognizing your thoughts evaluating them, and rationally deciding if they are accurate or being biased. My hands down all time favorite author, Jonathan Haidt, wrote a great book that is a great first look into the practice called "The happiness hypothesis" You might want to check it out.

But to the problem, if you have the emotional energy to reconnect you should. She may be feeling lonely and is reaching out to someone she remembered was a great person. There is a loneliness epidemic in the west, you could go a long way to help her, and yourself in the process.

Start small, build back up to a trusting conversation. After a few texts suggest a skype call or something, it's far easier to reconnect face to face, even if its on your couch.

u/streamentry · 16 pointsr/slatestarcodex

The Perilous State of the University: Jonathan Haidt/Jordan B Peterson
>I recently traveled to New York University to talk with Dr. Jonathan Haidt about, among other things, disgust, purity, fear and belief; the perilous state of the modern university; and his work with Heterodox Academy (https://heterodoxacademy.org/) an organization designed to draw attention to the lack of diversity of political belief in the humanities and the social sciences. Dr. Haid is Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business and a social psychologist. He studies the psychology of morality and the moral emotions. He has been described as a top global thinker by both Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines. Dr. Haidt is the author of three books: The newest is The Coddling of the American Mind: How Bad Ideas and Good Intentions are Setting up a Generation for Failure (http://amzn.to/2AN87a6). The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (http://amzn.to/2yOOQnU) The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom (http://amzn.to/2hJ0TzT) His writings on diversity viewpoint for the Heterodox Academy are at (http://righteousmind.com/viewpoint-di...)

u/eeliahs · 13 pointsr/AskReddit

If it helps, I think that we, humans, don't actually need "true happiness," and that it in fact doesn't really exist for us. My goal instead would be to be content. I suggest reading The Happiness Hypothesis which is a really interesting discussion of the human experience of happiness. Basically, though, because of how the human mind adapts and gets used to things, it's impossible to constantly be happy because, sort of like with drugs, you get used to the "happiness high," if you will, and you need more and more good stuff to keep boosting you to that same level of happiness. Plus, humans tend to reset themselves to a lower happiness threshold after a negative experience. So when I say content, I mean that I wish for a life of small pleasures and small tragedies, neither going to any great extremes, that average out to contentment. "Truly" happy isn't a real thing that can be maintained. Just be happy enough.

u/professorgerm · 13 pointsr/TheMotte

>Shepple

Did anyone else enjoy the amusing coincidence that her name is one letter from the Internet-word for "unwitting follower"?

>developed a script for masculinity that I was comfortable performing

Would you mind elaborating on this a bit? Or pointing towards a source that might help me make sense of the "everything is performative" mindset in less than 10,000 pages of overblown prose? Perhaps there's some factor to it that is fundamentally impossible to communicate, but I've long found that phrasing strange and uncomfortable, likely because I associate it with performing-as-acting, and thus as-lying.

>I wonder if there's some kind of body or gender dysmorphia that leaves certain people uncomfortable with whatever body they find themselves in

Almost definitely. I think a dose of Haidt's Happiness Hypothesis or maybe even Irvine's Guide to Stoicism would do people with this "generalized discomfort" much more good than the solutions they're finding (and regretting) now. Or since you mentioned the title phrase, John Kabat-Zinn's famed guide to mindfulness meditation. I say that as someone who found these books quite helpful over the years, dealing with my own concerns, and retrospectively quite glad of the culture in which I was raised rather than one more "do as thou wilt."

Edit: Thank you for sharing your story.

u/kinpognital · 7 pointsr/GetMotivated

I recommend reading The Happiness Hypothesis and The Art of Loving.

Those two books are a good start to philosophical and spiritual inquiries that people have always had. They deal with the meaning of life and are relatively easy to read.

Personally, I learned that I might never find my passion, because we're not necessarily supposed to, and I'm so much happier now.

u/[deleted] · 7 pointsr/Frugal

I noticed a lot of don't-buy-a-Mini,-it-will-cost-too-much posts. While I wouldn't get one personally, you should also realize that money is ultimately about enjoyment -- either immediately or deferred. Buying a movie ticket gives you (near-)immediate pleasure in the form of experiencing a movie. Paying your electric bill gives you the enjoyment of being able to run a refrigerator, which in-turn lets you enjoy a cold beer later on. Paying student loans are repayment for education/official recognition of achievement which will let you get a job which will ... and so on. You get the picture. All that being said: if you want to get a Mini Cooper, do it. Enjoy the things your money can buy you.

However, as someone who is in a somewhat similar position -- there's no car I want more than a Subaru WRX -- I know that getting that car won't be all it's cracked up to be. (Thank you, Daniel Gilbert and Jonathan Haidt.) You'll likely enjoy the car for a few weeks, then reality will smack you in the face: a car really provides little more than a way to get from Point A to Point B. You're paying quite a premium for relatively minor creature comforts and aesthetics.

I bought my latest car (2005 Subaru Outback) just under two years ago. I got a five year loan through the credit union, but we paid the hell out of that thing and it's now mine outright. We're still putting away about $400/mo into our car fund, and when it's time to upgrade my wife's vehicle, we're going to buy it with cash. If I could do it over again, I'd have kept my 1995 Corolla and kept the $8000 I've paid over the last two years.

This is something of an incoherent reply -- and my apologies for that. I guess my philosophy is that you should really weigh how important a new car truly is to you. Your expectations of how happy you will be with the Mini versus how much financial pressure you can expect from the payments and maintenance should be realistically analyzed to the greatest extent reasonable. There's a middle way here between the extremes of wanton indulgence and of penny pinching. Where on the continuum you choose to be will have pros and cons. Good luck!

u/Alex_Martynov · 6 pointsr/programmerhealth

That's a common phenomenon. Achieving goals gives just temporary satisfaction.

One way to deal with it is to set new bigger goals each time -- but one needs to be careful to set really meaningful goals.

Another way is to integrate 'practices' in your life which will help you maintain the focus and desirable state of mind. And such practices can be very different, from meditating to regularly having a coffee with a friend.

Also try checking this book, I found it very inspiring

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465028020

u/jamesallred · 6 pointsr/exmormon

There is a book that I like, which is "the happiness hypothesis".

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https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-Ancient/dp/0465028020

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It talks about how we can maximize our happiness in life. It acknowledges that some of us are hard wired to be "happier" than others. It is just in our genetics.

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But within our genetic range we can move up or down.

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One of the things it shared, from research, is that enjoying the little things in life actually does bring happiness. Little things like dinner with friends. Going to a movie. Pursuing your hobbies. All the things that I avoided as a TBM because they were a waste of time. Kind of like eat drink and be merry.

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In the book it also acknowledges that if you ONLY pursue the small things, it only goes so far. You do need big things (purpose) in your life as well. But the eat drink and be merry things are important and shouldn't be avoided.

u/zopfman · 5 pointsr/askphilosophy

The Happiness Hypothesis is a good book to learn how to apply philosophy to a happier life. I personally found that existentialist readings helped me with my depression, especially the low confidence/self-esteem. I read an abridged version of Being and Nothingness to get the gist of it which gave me confidence in my actions, and reading Ethics of Ambiguity gave me confidence (and checks) that I was living a moral life.

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I've found that philosophy helps a lot (if you're reading about the good life); the more you read the more knowledgeable you become, and the better off you are to formulate and justify a healthy mode of living. The most important thing is to live the way you want to live (not the way others tell you to!), or else you'll never be able to justify to yourself what you do.

u/XOmniverse · 5 pointsr/intj

To boost strengths? Basically anything by Ayn Rand or Friedrich Nietzsche

To shore up weaknesses? Nonviolent Communication

Also, if you want all of the good stuff from the self-help category of books with none of the bullshit, read this one: The Happiness Hypothesis

u/vasubandu · 4 pointsr/INTP

That has been a life journey. A big part of it was falling in love with my future wife. She is INFJ, and I marveled at the richness of her emotions. While I still considered emotions to be a nuisance, she seemed to derive meaning and purpose from them. And my love for her seemed drab in comparison to hers for me. But I remained that way for many years.

I also was suicidal all my life. It started in kindergarten, and I contemplated suicide most days throughout my life. I promised my wife before we had sex the first time that I would no kill myself, and for some reason that bound me. Without that promise, I would be long dead.

When we were in our late 30's, she said that she wanted to have a baby. I thought that train had left the station, and I had no interest in having a child. So I said, "We have a dog." She said it was not the same, and I said that we have a special dog and cannot know if it is the same since we do not have a child. She repeated that she wanted to have a baby, and I thought for 15 seconds about how much it meant to her and how natural her desire was. I also realized that if we had a child, every moment of the rest of my life would change. So I said, "What a delightful idea, let's do it." Love will do that. When our first son was 2, she said that she thought he wanted a sibling. I said that I thought he was a tub of goo, and that his mommy wanted him to have a sibling. She said, "only one." I said, "I hope you don't have twins because i would hate to have to give one of them away." So we had our second.

When our kids were born, I did not bond with them. I was a full participant in their care, but I did not think I would miss them if they were gone. That got me to thinking about my connections with other people, and I realized that I did not connect with anyone other than my wife. And truth be told, I did not connect with her the way I wanted to.

Thus began a long journey to connect with people. It included cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants. And a lot of reading. Once I decided that I wanted to connect with people, I realized that I was actually jealous of all the people around me who expressed emotions. I love baseball, but when I went to a game, I sat and analyzed the game in a thoughtful manner. If the Mariners hit a home run, I noted it but did not cheer while people around me were high fiving each other. I observed that emotions have meaning to my wife's life and to the lives of many others.

It was a long a tortuous journey. I made halting progress and slipped back many times. I realized that I was still running emotions through my mind and trying to make sense of them, and I sought more help. My problem was that my mind tends to reprocess thoughts over and over again looking for connections and answers, and it was doing the same thing with emotions. Discovering Dialectical Behavior Therapy made a huge difference.

Most recently, I had the good fortune to arrange Transcrainial Magnetic Stimulation. TMS is like ECT in the most general sense in that it uses magnetic impulses to stimulate the brain. However, unlike ECT, TMS has no significant side effects. I had a very unusual reaction to TMS. After the very first treatment, the constant negative narration in my head stopped, and after the second treatment the next day, I could not detect any depression. I was disappointed because my state was neutral, not happy, but that is as it should be. I am quite often happy, but also can be sad or angry depending on circumstances. However, my state is appropriate to the stimuli.

I probably am not all the way there and will be dealing with this all my life. It all started with my realization that I was missing out on something by suppressing my emotions. It started when I decided that I wanted to experience the full range of my emotions and to stop spending so much energy fighting them. When I realized the overhead of trying to keep my emotions in check, I saw a lot of time wasted.

I think that everyone will have his or her own path. It starts with the realization that emotions are not the enemy, but a natural and healthy part of life. A book that I discovered on the way and that deeply affected me is The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-Ancient/dp/0465028020/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1550165981&sr=8-1. I would say that this book did more to change my perspective than anything else. I highly recommend it.

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u/quantumhobbit · 4 pointsr/depression

We have so much less control of our own minds than we would like to think.

A book that really helped me out was "The Happiness Hypothesis" http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-Ancient/dp/0465028020/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314305590&sr=8-1

The author uses a metaphor of the human mind as a rider on a elephant. The rider is your conscious self: the part of you that wants to stop being depressed. The elephant is your unconscious. You can't just tell yourself to be happy or to stop smoking or eat less or whatever no matter how much you want to. Just like the rider on the elephant can't just tell the elephant to turn around. Trying to be forceful with the elephant will just result in it kicking your ass. You have to learn how to steer the elephant. You have to learn about the elephant's tendencies and how to outsmart it.

Changing yourself is hard. It might take medication, therapy, meditation, exercise, or any of a million different things. Mostly you have to realize that you are fighting a battle with a part of yourself that is way bigger than you. Don't listen to people who say "Just be happy"; they don't understand how the human mind works.

u/GWFKegel · 3 pointsr/askphilosophy
u/TimmT · 3 pointsr/truegaming

Sorry if I'm spoiling your discovery here a bit, but the fact games that are about the acquisition of skill (and knowledge) isn't really news. That's something any book on game design will tell you right in the beginning. Similarly, any good book on productivity will tell you about the concept of "flow" - and if you read carefully, you'll see that "flow" is the exact same thing you experience when being drawn in by a game.

As it turns out, evolution programmed such that learning/training feels very rewarding to us. So much so, that it is (in that aspect) only second to eating and having sex. Having understood this, then the next realization is that games are no less of a way to gaming our reward systems than fast food or porn, because of how they offer the feeling of achievement "on the cheap".

If you want to know more about this, the fundamental pieces of research in this area have been contributed by the (by now somewhat famous) Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (this is one TED talk of him). Though I'd suggest starting with something less technical like The Happiness Hypothesis at first, where you'll be given a nice summary of various findings in this area, without having to wade through the findings yourself.

u/PwntEFX · 3 pointsr/mormon

Elder Oaks commented that “the historicity--the historical authenticity--of the Book of Mormon is an issue so fundamental” to Mormon theology that it cannot be ignored. What really happened, in other words, sets up the whole framework for the “claim to priesthood keys, and revelation, and the restored Church.”

One of the most beautiful things about Mormonism, you see, the thing that really sets us apart, is our belief that God’s work is not just spiritual, but literal. Not just metaphysical, but real. God’s kingdom is not something just for Heaven, but something that is literally happening right here, right now. We are taught to believe in the literal gathering of Israel. We are taught that God and Christ literally speak to Prophets. We are taught that angels literally put their hands on Joseph and Oliver and conferred the priesthood. We are taught that God literally restored his Church and this Church is literally the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth.
We are taught that our founding narratives—the First Vision, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the Priesthood—speak of real events.

So, in my mind, when apologists point to the idea that happiness justifies the Church's truth claims, they've kind of missed the point. As has been pointed out, just about every other religions can point to the same "evidence."

I wrote an essay where I wrestle with some of these ideas of historicity and the literal nature of Mormon doctrine. At the end of the day, I think it comes down to a matter of faith.

I also think that early Latter-day Saints might argue, even in the face of persecution, that their lives were "better." Jonathan Haidt, in his book The Happiness Hypothesis, claims that:

>happiness comes from between. Happiness is not something that you can find, acquire, or achieve directly. You have to get the conditions right and then wait. Some of those conditions are within you, such as coherence among the parts and levels of your personality. Other conditions require relationships to things beyond you: Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger. It is worth striving to get the right relationships between yourself and others, between yourself and your work, and between yourself and something larger than yourself. If you get these relationships right, a sense of purpose and meaning will emerge.

So, inasmuch as Mormonism gives people a connection to something larger, a purpose, a place to love and work and struggle--a community--I would suggest that they felt their life was "better."

Edit: links

u/dryheatwindbag · 3 pointsr/exmormon

I know this is a bit unorthodox but this is the book I would give my mom is she were alive:

Happiness Hypotjesis by Jonathon Haidt

https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-Ancient/dp/0465028020

It is what opened my mind.

Good luck.

u/pavs · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

I think this is the book you might be interested in:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465028020/

u/ChucktheUnicorn · 2 pointsr/philosophy

One of my favorite books is The Happiness Hypothesis by Johnathan Haidt. He's a social psychologist, not a philosopher but the book does an excellent job of outlining various philosophies about happiness and examining the scientific backing for them. I read it in college and it's short and easily accessible. IMO everyone should read it

u/SeaTurtlesCanFly · 2 pointsr/depression

Optimists may seem unrealistic to someone in the pits of depression, but there have been studies that have showed that optimists are far more successful and effective.

You can choose how to see things. When I react to something, my mind goes right to the negative. Let's say my boss criticizes me. My mind goes right to: I'm going to lose my job... I'm going to be homeless... I never get anything right... etc. This is assuming a lot of things that might not be anywhere near the reality of a situation.

An optimist might choose to see the criticism as a good thing - a chance to grow and learn - and not extrapolate to predicting doom. This is a far more productive course.

You can do "all the right things" on paper, but that is no guarantee of happiness for many reasons.

u/chipjet · 2 pointsr/TrueAtheism

My favorite has been The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt

I liked it so much that one year I bought 10 copies and gave them all out for xmas to various friends and family. Although, it's less about positive thinking and more about what positive psychology has learned makes people happiest.

u/woodchuck64 · 1 pointr/atheism

Lewis depends strongly on the experience of the "Numinous" and our sense of justice as the basis for most of his apologetics. However, evolutionary psychology is making quite a bit of headway in defining, understanding and explaining both religious and moral experience in terms of evolutionary biology. An excellent overview of some of the scientific understanding of religious and moral values is in Jonathan Haidt's book The Happiness Hypothesis.

u/mavnorman · 1 pointr/atheism

I'd also recommend The happiness hypothesis by Jonathan Haith which is a nice book for living a better life. The title is a bit weird, but it's written very well, in my opinion.

There, you'll also find the suggestion to find a therapist who does cognitive behavioral therapy, because there's evidence that it actually works.

u/Bukujutsu · 1 pointr/Anarcho_Capitalism

I took isolation to an extreme degree. I just did everything wrong, had the worst predispositions and behaviors, for achieving happiness, flourishing/properly developing as a person, attaining a sense of fulfillment:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Ancient/dp/0465028020
http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Guide-Developing-Lifes-Important/dp/0316167258

Unfortunately I'm not exaggerating. Unsurprisingly, giving realistic answers, I score near the maximum on symptoms of depression, minimum for fulfillment/satisfaction with life/flourishing and lasting/general happiness.

The shattering point was when I had driven myself to full isolation and took a shroom trip; something I had extensively researched, having first grown them at age 17/18 with information from the shroomery, although at the time I had no desire to consume them, and was using for personal development/introspection, to see if there could be anything gained from the experience, or just the enjoyment of it, something so far from ordinary reality. It was mild, and I don't blame it for what occurred, it only brought things to the surface. It was a recurring theme in the past, I was really trying desperately to find an alternative to the need for relationships, people in my life, denying there was a problem. I was confronted with an accepted how unhappy I was and that I was never going to be happy like this. This lead to a depressive spiral.

That's just an overview, it really isn't relevant to the vast majority of people. I am a psychological trainwreck, an abnormality, aberration.

u/BeGneiss · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but what came to my mind was The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. It's a book written by a psychologist that goes into the philosophical and psychological ideas of what actually makes people happy. It really changed my views, and it's a great read.

u/Kitsun3Zaru · 1 pointr/zen

You ever read this?

https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-Ancient/dp/0465028020

Guy juxtaposes ancient wisdom with modern research to put up mankind's "10 greatest ideas." Professor at UVA.

There's a chapter in their called "Divinity without god." or something like that.

u/darthrevan · 1 pointr/books

I also recommend The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. Combines the newer developments in positive psychology with older philosophy to take the best of old and new. I found it a great and helpful read.

u/balanced_goat · 1 pointr/InsightfulQuestions

Check out Chapter 7 of the Happiness Hypothesis, by Jonathan Haidt, one of the leading social psychologists today. He goes into great detail about it, and it's fascinating. Short answer is yes, adversity absolutely benefits development, but there are lots of variables that influence how much, and there is definitely such a thing as too much.

u/non4prophet · 0 pointsr/askscience

I just began reading this book on the subject of introverted people. It has some pretty good case studies and helps reframe the concept of introversion, so that you can better see your strengths with your weaknesses. I'm only a few chapters in, but some of the case studies have really rang true with my experiences and also those of my daughter (who is the reason I originally picked the book up). I am extremely skeptical by nature, but I've gotten pretty good at not throwing out entire theories because of a few things that sound wonky. The book focuses mostly on the psychology of the matter, but also has some biological and neurological studies to back up some of the ideas. I've also been listening to this audiobook and it has been blowing my mind. The author has been able to put so many concepts into words that I have thought about over the years. I highly recommend it. It helps that he states that he's an atheist (from my point of view), but he's also very balanced in looking at the positive aspects of religion and gleaning bits of wisdom from each. These books cover some of the same topics of personality traits and psychology. I have found them very helpful for where I am in life. I thought someone else might as well ;)