The Happiness Advantage

By Shawn Achor,

Book cover of The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life

Book description

Most people want to be successful in life. And of course, everyone wants to be happy. When it comes to the pursuit of success and happiness, most people assume the same formula: if you work hard, you will become successful, and once you become successful, then you'll be happy. Theā€¦

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Why read it?

7 authors picked The Happiness Advantage as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book highlights the science behind positive psychology and its impact on workplace success. It demonstrates how happiness fuels productivity, creativity, and resilience, leading to improved performance and better outcomes.

By cultivating positive emotions and fostering strong relationships, you can create a more supportive and enjoyable work environment for everyone.

From Matt's list on workplace happiness.

This book changed my life. Itā€™s my top recommendation for friends and family and the one I reference most during my leadership workshops. Why? Happiness is truly one of the biggest advantages of life. Not only is it a predictor of career success, but it also paves the way for deeper, more meaningful connections with the people around you.

Iā€™ve probably read Achorā€™s a dozen times now, and with each reading, I discover some new secret for rewiring my brain to see the best in myself and the world at large. Thanks to the gratitude tools Iā€™ve incorporated from thisā€¦

While the title may be the last thing a person experiencing grief wants to read, the science and reasoning behind the recommended habits we can build are practical and useful. This book is not written for a reader who is grieving but more for a person pursuing a more general career and life self-help, so it isnā€™t full of stories about grief being transformative.

The author is a Harvard lecturer who studies positive psychology. His guidance on pursuing happiness is provided in a way that is actionable and not overwhelming. 


From Betsy's list on for grieving without God.

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Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctorā€”and only womanā€”on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route upā€¦

This is another book that can inspire you in your daily life and change your perspective. A call for happiness!

Despite what we believe, happiness breeds success, and not the other way aroundā€¦ quite an important distinction. This very well-researched book by a specialist from Harvard University also argues that our brain is flexible enough to change whatever our age, and that it is always possible to mitigate our negative perception of reality.

This leads to a more positive way of thinking that will create the conditions to achieve what we want and lead an exciting life! After reading thisā€¦

Archerā€™s years as a Harvard professor lend him an effective and authoritative voice, and his messageā€”be happy firstā€”resonates with the philosophies of mindful leadership. His seven principles of positive psychology, from the Tetris Effect to Falling Up, speak to power of our thinking to generate fulfillment and success. Heā€™s precise yet expansive in his examination of how the psychology of happiness impacts our professional lives.

The Happiness Advantage is a simple yet profound book, that allows us to recognize and access those things that make us happy and successful at work. 

From Eric's list on mindful leaders.

In this book, Achor ā€œflips the script.ā€ Conventional wisdom says that happiness is the result of seeing your dreams realized. However, recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that happiness actually fuels success, not the other way around. And, he proves it through research. When we have a positive outlook on life, our brains are more engaged, we are more resilient and energetic.

Isolating seven practices that can help anyone elevate their happiness, Achor takes the reader down the path of offering practical advice on how you can capitalize on the Happiness Advantage to improve your performanceā€¦

From Randy's list on the best way to find happiness.

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Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier,

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. BrenƩ Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher,ā€¦

When you have happiness as a baseline, life is just better. Shawn takes you through the academics of happiness, and all the research. Like Brene, Shawn is Texan, and they are both gifted storytellers. Easy, fun read. By an academic for regular folk, this book is full of useful information and exercises to make your life better.

From Allison's list on for self care and motivation.

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Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctorā€”and only womanā€”on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route upā€¦

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