Against Happiness
Book description
We are addicted to happiness. More than any other generation, Americans today believe in the power of positive thinking. But who says we're supposed to be happy? In Against Happiness, the scholar Eric G. Wilson argues that melancholia is necessary to any thriving culture, that it is the muse of…
Why read it?
1 author picked Against Happiness as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Intuitively, I have always felt suspicious of the pressure to be happy and trust the transformative power of positive thinking. What is happiness? Why do we yield to the pressures to be happy? Why do we consider happiness to be of the highest value?
This little book argues for the importance of sadness and melancholia as emotions that are essential for any culture. It's sadness and its constant power to search for the meaning of life that makes us human and helps us grow. It's a powerful book that makes its case for the value of embracing sadness and melancholy…
From Anna's list on melancholy, love, and identity.
If you love Against Happiness...
Traumatization and Its Aftermath
A fresh take on the difference between trauma and hardship in order to help accurately spot the difference and avoid over-generalizations.
The book integrates the latest findings in brain science, child development, psycho-social context, theory, and clinical experiences to make the case that trauma is much more than a cluster…
Want books like Against Happiness?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Against Happiness.
Share your top 3 reads of 2024!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,592
readers submitted
so far, will you?
