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The Happiness Myth: The Historical Antidote to What Isn't Working Today Paperback – February 5, 2008

3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 89 ratings

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Jennifer Michael Hecht explodes the myths about happiness, liberating us from the message that there's only one way to care for our hearts, minds, and bodies.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Hecht’s curiosity ranges widely, and the breadth of her learning is impressive… Fresh and daring analysis.” — Washington Post

“Deep and thoughtful.” — Michael Shermer, Scientific American

“Among the raft of happiness books published lately, this one is the obvious standout. I suggest climbing aboard.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer

From the Back Cover

Jennifer Michael Hecht explodes the myths about happiness, liberating us from the message that there's only one way to care for our hearts, minds, and bodies.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperOne; Reprint edition (February 5, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060859504
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060859503
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 89 ratings

About the author

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Jennifer Michael Hecht
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Jennifer Michael Hecht lives in Brooklyn, blocks from where her great-grandmother Jenny Balinsky lived. Hecht has written four books of history and philosophy and three books of poetry. She earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University in the History of Science and European Cultural History and has taken that in many directions.

I like to think about human meaning, especially the kind that exists outside the individual, in the culture and the community. The feeling of meaning is sufficient to the definition of meaning, just as the feeling of love is sufficient to the definition of love. (Of course we sometimes don't feel love, but that doesn't make us say love doesn't exist.) I believe Stay's approach to the question of suicide allows us to see ourselves as more profoundly connected to each other, and able to relax our need to each generate the entire meaning of life on our own.

For me, poetry is the best way to get to truth underneath what we think we know. My nonfiction also requests a flip in perspective. I love to hear from people! Contact me on my website: http://www.jennifermichaelhecht.com/

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
89 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enlightening and informative. They appreciate the practical conclusions and find it worth reading. The book provides an insight into what makes people happy and how to achieve that happiness. Readers describe the writing as engaging and stimulating for discussion.

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6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and engaging. They appreciate the interesting conclusions and practical advice. The book provides an in-depth look into different theories and cultural history, challenging assumptions. Readers find it informative and useful for coaches and their clients.

"...short chapter to each of these doctrines, and they are worth the reading in themselves as well as represent brief introductions to the thinking of..." Read more

"...Her research is far-ranging and expertly synthesized giving the reader insights into different eras and varied cultures without the usual wordiness..." Read more

"...Jennifer Michael Hecht keeps you stimulated and interested while reading this book, kind of like the coca plants did for the Colombians working in..." Read more

"...There is also little tidbits of history that I didn't know and found interesting...." Read more

5 customers mention "Happiness"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's happiness perspective. They find it an insightful exploration of what makes people happy and how to achieve it. The writing is engaging and a pleasure to read, providing a stimulus for discussion.

"...this book was how Hecht identified the three types of happiness: a good day, euphoria, and a happy life, and how often these can be at odds with one..." Read more

"...For Hecht there is "good day" happiness, determined by the little things you actually do in your daily routine; then there is "euphoria," which is..." Read more

"...Hecht's writing is witty and engaging. I'd love to see her on C-Span's Book TV talking about her writings." Read more

"...What it is is a sampling of what makes people happy and why. There is also little tidbits of history that I didn't know and found interesting...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2024
    One of the many stories author Jennifer Michael Hecht offers in this book is about fletcherizing. I was not aware of this movement that apparently was very popular in the late 1800s. Spearheaded by Horace Fletcher who became known as "The Great Masticator,” fletcherizing meant chewing your food to the point of liquifying it before swallowing. Fletcher guaranteed his followers that this excessive chewing would calm them down and make them happy.

    150 years later we are free to chuckle at such a thought and wonder about the people who fell for such a trend. And that is very much Hecht’s point because as she says, “We don’t live at the end of history” and “Tomorrow’s happiness advice will be different from today’s.”

    What I loved most about this book was how Hecht identified the three types of happiness: a good day, euphoria, and a happy life, and how often these can be at odds with one another. Most of us would love to sit around all day and do nothing but eat cake. But string enough “good days” like that together and you’ll probably lose your job and not fit into any of your clothes. Conversely, work non-stop, live frugally and never enjoy anything in the moment, and you may get to retirement friendless and alone. It’s the balancing act of enjoying today while living a good life that is the ultimate goal.

    I also liked how Hecht attempted to alleviate some of the guilt modern society tends to dump on us. Why have we become convinced that alcohol or drug-induced happiness isn’t “real happiness?” And why do we deny ourselves food and drink that makes us happy just to meet some ridiculous standard of beauty that someone else has brainwashed us into thinking will truly make us happy. Hecht’s point isn’t to eat and drink everything in sight, but rather to make our choices without the heavy hand of someone else’s priorities or pressure.

    Happiness is important to me. (I assume it’s important to most people.). As such I spend a lot of time making sure I am happy, and those around me are as well (which also adds to my happiness). I know there is no such thing as a completely stress free and happy life. I think if there were it would actually be boring. But having more good days than bad is, to me, the best strategy to follow. And as Hecht writes, trying things is often the key to happiness. Travel. Go to concerts. See a parade. Try a new restaurant. Invite friends over for dinner. Sing karaoke. These are just a few of the suggestions Hecht makes and that I second. And if none of these things work, try chewing your food more.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2009
    Jennifer Michael Hecht is one of the most original young skeptical writers to appear in a long time. Her Doubt: A History is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in skepticism across time and cultures, including the many -- usually under appreciated -- religious skeptics. Hecht's more recent volume, The Happiness Myth: The Historical Antidote to What Isn't Working Today, should also be on the shelf of anyone seriously interested in happiness. And who on earth isn't?

    There has been a renaissance of writings about happiness lately, from newspaper and magazine articles covering research on the psychology of that human emotion to a number of philosophers mining their more than two millennia of literature to distill advice useful to Westerners at the onset of the 21st century. Hecht's take, however, is different, and reflects her training as a historian. The basic idea is simple yet powerful: the best antidote to being trapped by cultural fads is to broaden one's view both in time and in space. Take a look at how people in distinct historical periods and in diverse cultures approached the "problem" of happiness and you will get a helpful perspective on the idiosyncrasies of our own time and place.

    For instance, take drugs. Not literally, but in the sense of considering the issue of drugs. Hecht points out that today we think of certain drugs (say, cocaine) as harmful and we accordingly make them illegal. Other drugs (caffeine) are instead not only allowed, but even studied to highlight their positive effects on our ability to "perform" at work and in life. But of course there was a time when cocaine was perfectly legal and considered as recreational as coffee is today. It is well known that the "coke" in Coca-Cola derives from the fact that one of the original ingredients of the beverage was cocaine, but did you know that one Angelo Mariani had the idea, back in 1863, to market coca-infused wine in Paris? "Vin Mariani," not surprisingly, became a success and the guy got rich on it. The point isn't that cocaine does not have harmful effects and should therefore be freely available. Rather, drugs in general do not come with a "bad" or "good" label, because most of them have positive or negative effects, depending on how they are taken (try injecting yourself with pure caffeine), and of course on what society thinks is "good" or "bad."

    Hecht applies the same historical and comparative approach to money (does it make you happy?), our bodies (why do we spend so much of our life dieting and running on a treadmill going nowhere?), and celebrations (why do we get together for weddings and sports events, but don't run naked in the woods anymore?), making a convincing case that a lot of what we do to increase our happiness has little connection to our actual needs, and may in fact contribute significantly to our sense of un-happiness, or at least of dissatisfaction with our lives.

    Hecht sometimes pushes the envelope a bit too far from my perspective as a scientist, suggesting or implying that modern scientific research on issues such as diet and exercise are not really improvements on our past knowledge, but simply contribute to generate more useless or downright destructive fads. I doubt it, though she is of course right that there is often a vast chasm between the best science that we have available and the reasons people take up yet another "miracle" diet or exercise regime. (For the record, having read and practiced quite a bit in this area: no special diet is necessary to lose weight, and exercise by itself won't do it unless you go to the gym at the rate of an olympian athlete. Here is the priceless "secret," though, for which I will charge you nothing: eat fewer calories than you burn, and the second principle of thermodynamics will do the rest for you.)

    Equally interesting is Hecht's first section of The Happiness Myth, which should probably be re-read by the time one gets to the end of the book. It distinguishes among three types of happiness, which is helpful because often people mean very different things by that simple word. For Hecht there is "good day" happiness, determined by the little things you actually do in your daily routine; then there is "euphoria," which is intense, long-lasting in your memory, but quite rare; and finally we have "happy life," which has to do with the broad pursuits in life and requires long-term goals and a lot of work. It is important not to confuse these while at the same time realizing that we need a balance among all three of them (one cannot be happy by simply pursuing good days, or euphoric moments, for instance).

    Also important are what Hecht calls the "four doctrines" for happiness, which she distills from the wisdom of millennia of philosophical writings in the east and west: know yourself; control your desires; take what is (rightfully) yours; and remember death. The author devotes one short chapter to each of these doctrines, and they are worth the reading in themselves as well as represent brief introductions to the thinking of philosophers from Aristotle to Epicurus, writers from Marcus Aurelius to Freud, and mystics from Koheleth to Buddha.

    I don't know whether I'll be happier after having read this book, but I have certainly gained a deeper perspective on the whole business of happiness. If knowledge is power, as Francis Bacon famously said, then I have also gained more power over my own life, and that's no small achievement to derive from a book.
    22 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Justin Andrews
    4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth a read but
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 20, 2019
    This is very much not yer typical American self help book but brilliant for those maturer readers more familiar with an approach to our lives that imho this author outlines rather wonderfully.
  • Hector
    4.0 out of 5 stars very helpful lateral views. an interesting voice and I hope she writes more on this subject.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2015
    not a science-based book, but her thesis that happiness is achieved by doing good things on a life perspective, a day perspective and for occasional euphoria, is very interesting.
  • gabriel mendoza
    4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting point of view
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 23, 2015
    One of the best "philosophy in everyday life books around. Original, refreshingly politically incorrect about positive effects of "drugs" and points out the randomness of many current ideas.