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Happiness: Lessons from a New Science (Second Edition)
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Product Description
Review
Unorthodox, devastatingly straightforward and more provocative of actual thought than 90% of books said to be "thought-provoking". If happiness isn't a political issue, what's the point of politics? (Andrew Marr )
A remarkable book ... which effectively trashes the claim of economics to guide policy for a good society ... read it, and take heart (Simon Caulkin Observer )
Fascinating ... argues that we should make happiness, not growth, the object of our economic policies (John Kay Financial Times ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
A remarkable book ... which effectively trashes the claim of economics to guide policy for a good society ... read it, and take heart (Simon Caulkin Observer )
Fascinating ... argues that we should make happiness, not growth, the object of our economic policies (John Kay Financial Times ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Product Description
In this landmark book, Richard Layard shows that there is a paradox at the heart of our lives. Most people want more income. Yet as societies become richer, they do not become happier. This is not just anecdotally true, it is the story told by countless pieces of scientific research. We now have sophisticated ways of measuring how happy people are, and all the evidence shows that on average people have grown no happier in the last fifty years, even as average incomes have more than doubled. In fact, the First World has more depression, more alcoholism and more crime than fifty years ago. This paradox is true of Britain, the United States, continental Europe, and Japan. What is going on?
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First Sentence
There is a paradox at the heart of our lives. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
There is a paradox at the heart of our lives. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
... Money can't buy me love, or it would seem happiness, if the statistics on depression and anxiety in the modern western world compared with the 1950s are to be believed. This book is about the paradox of market economics - we pursue ever greater productivity, flexibility and trade, and our material wealth piles up - yet we do not seem to get happier. Indeed, the things that make us happy - friends, family, love, community - are not things that we trade, and modern economies tend to atomise us into consumers, living far from our families and barely knowing our neighbours.
Professor Layard's strength in adressing this subject is that he comes from a hard-edged economics backgroud. There is no woolyness here, no hostility towards success. Instead, there is a rational effort to focus on happiness as the correct priority for public policy - including economic policy. Facinating, but unfortunatly the prognosis is a great deal clearer than the cure.
Truely thought provoking, even it some of those thoughts are "well we really have messed it all up."
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I bought this one I was half expecting a self-help book, or at the very least some significant elements of this. Unfortunately the self help element of the book is left to a chapter or two at the end, the answers being mainly buddhism and mediation. Most of the book builds a picture of what makes people happy, but very much from an economists point of view, with some elements of psychology thrown in. Confusingly the book says that real income has risen over the years which is in direct contradiction to other books that I have read. I don't know who to believe!
Whilst interesting for the general reader I feel its written more for policy and decision makers looking to create strategies that target increasing happiness. To the rest of us its a quite a detailed economic and psychological analysis of happiness but is not a book to buy if you are looking for instruction or self-help on improving your life.
Whilst interesting for the general reader I feel its written more for policy and decision makers looking to create strategies that target increasing happiness. To the rest of us its a quite a detailed economic and psychological analysis of happiness but is not a book to buy if you are looking for instruction or self-help on improving your life.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I think this was the book that started the current trendiness of Happiness. Despite being fairly short it covers everything you could possibly want to know, and has a bibliography and internet links for anyone wanting to know more about any particular topic.
It is an important book because in some ways the modern world is making people more and more unhappy. But it doesn't have to be that way. The author offers suggestions, backed by solid evidence, for political and economic reforms and also for personally achieving greater happiness.
It is an important book because in some ways the modern world is making people more and more unhappy. But it doesn't have to be that way. The author offers suggestions, backed by solid evidence, for political and economic reforms and also for personally achieving greater happiness.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Spread a little happiness
I'm particularly interested in whether my mind can control my mood. The notion of happiness being something we can switch on and off is something I am sympathetic to, but... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Penelope Young
A fantastic read
Written by the founder of 'movement for happiness' now better known as the 'action for happiness' movement which has appeared on bbc1. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ms. S. L. Mercieca
Happiness :)
Such a great read. Really challenges perceptions, especially regarding gross national product with respect to happiness. Read more
Published 10 months ago by flux
Insightful but a frustrating read - worth persevering with
Packed with fascinating facts and ideas, this book could have been really important, if it had just been a bit better written. Read more
Published 13 months ago by C. Young
a very important book
some excellent ideas and theories in this book of which i totaly agree with. in my opinion the majority of the public would support a move towards gwb as apposed to gnp, we just... Read more
Published 16 months ago by W. Farmer
Happiness - All about comparison
This book is a good book to confirm what we all know but are scared to admit. That the reason why we go through periods of unhappiness is because we want more and we compare... Read more
Published on 27 May 2010 by JayRay
Light on gritty philosophical reasoning, but interesting
Layard expounds his view that the most important aim for society should be maximising the Utilitarian notion of happiness rather than increasing GDP/GNP. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2010 by Mr. F. Chillcott
Richard Layard adds to the to sum of human happiness
Yes, and three cheers for him. He could have written a dry academic tome that would have bored the pants off most of us, thereby adding to the sum of human misery, but no, he... Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2009 by John Williams
Authoritative yet readable
A detailed look at those factors which affect happiness, combining aspects of various social sciences in its search for constructive suggestions. Read more
Published on 6 April 2009 by G. L. Haggett
Sorry but this is no Happiness Hypothesis.
Whereas much of the science based parts of this book are worthwhile, I disagree very much with the political posturing of this book, when it rears its head. Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2009 by Mr. T. White
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