The Geography of Bliss [Paperback]

"I just want my children to be happy." How many times have you heard an American parent say that before sighing out of concern for how junior might turn out?

Eric Weiner's family must have shared that vision over him at some point because the self-described grump decided to read all the research about the factors that seem related to self-described happiness . . . and then to traipse all over the world to take a closer look at extreme conditions. Such an assignment would have turned me from a joyful person into a grump. Fortunately, Mr. Weiner tolerated it all pretty well.

I'm a little puzzled by the book's premise: Why doesn't Mr. Weiner just makes notes about when he is and isn't happy and test out spending more time in the former circumstances and less time in the latter to see if his happiness grows or his grumpiness recedes? That's the scientific method of experimentation to test hypothesis.

Asking people how happy they are on a scale of one to ten seems awfully subjective and arbitrary. Cultural norms in some countries might lead people to answer more positively than those in other countries, even if people were experiencing the same amount of happiness.

But if you crave a summary of what factors are more often associated with those who describe themselves as happy, this book is pretty efficient at spelling that out early in the book.

From there, the book turns into an amusing travelogue primarily taking the reader to places you probably haven't visited (Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova, Thailand, and India) and some you probably have (Great Britain and the United States). Mr. Weiner is most imaginative in his choice of locales and his exploration of life style choices (looking into the flesh and drugs of the Netherlands, riding on the clean trains in Switzerland, passing the flesh pots of Thailand, wandering around in the darkness of an Iceland winter, trying to meet a local Arab in Qatar while escaping from luxury and service, checking out the local culture in Qatar and Moldova, living like the locals in Moldova, studying at an Indian ashram, enjoying the beauty of Bhutan, talking to those who were part of a happiness-inducing experiment in Slough (near Heathrow Airport in England), and exploring how some people find locales that fit their personalities better than others).

I didn't learn anything about happiness research that I hadn't read in more detail somewhere else, but I thought that his summary was a fair one.

My main disappointment concerning the book was the lack of exploring a devout Christian community to see how faith adds to happiness in that context.

As a travelogue, it was all great fun . . . but few of the places attracted my interest. I was intrigued, however, by what he had to say about Bhutan. I'll have to add Bhutan to my itinerary for future travels.

If you enjoy travel writing and you are interested to hear an American's travels to some of the happiest and unhappiest countries then this is the book for you. It is a quirky, humorous read and Weiner visits a range of interesting countries and meets some fascinating and unusual people. It isn't really the book for you if you are wanting a serious self help guide on the areas of 'happiness, instead it offers some snap shots of life across the world, which might lead you to think and reflect upon your own life and happiness quota, or you might just be amused and entertained. Enjoy it for what it is - a lighthearted travel log and an insight into different people's quest for happiness across the globe.

"That old saw about the glass being half full or half empty is dead wrong. What really matters is whether water is flowing into or out of the glass." - from THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS

"Watching Brits shed their inhibitions is like watching elephants mate. You know it happens, it must, but it's noisy, awkward as hell, and you can't help but wonder: Is this something I really need to see?" - from THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS

Writing THE INNOCENTS ABROAD, Mark Twain billed himself as a foreign correspondent. In THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS, author Eric Weiner is the foreign correspondent for National Public Radio reporting on what he admits is probably a self-imposed fool's errand, i.e. to find the happiest place on Earth despite possessing what he describes, on page one, as a "gloomy disposition." With that admission, I liked him already.

In ten chapters, Weiner records his search for joyful life in The Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Thailand, Great Britain, India, and America. For the sake of contrast, Eric also visits Moldova, where, apparently, everyone is profoundly miserable. And, in case you're wondering, our foreign correspondent does indeed seem to arrive at a consensus of one as to which of those places is the happiest. Perhaps my wife and I, always on the lookout for a retirement venue, should begin looking at the real estate listings.

The obvious question is why the author didn't include Disneyland on his itinerary, the self-styled "Happiest Place on Earth." That would've been an insightful touch with the potential for much humor, I suspect, if not necessarily uncovering overabundant happiness.

Weiner's style is easy-going and gently self-deprecatory. I like that in a travel essayist since a road trip of any length is best not taken too seriously.

There are travel narratives, and then there are travel narratives. I've usually found the best to be those through which runs a topical thread that wouldn't perhaps be cconceptualized by most writers. Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast (Radio 4 Book of the Week), Pagan Holiday: On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists, and The Sinner's Grand Tour: A Journey Through the Historical Underbelly of Europe fall into that category. THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS is similarly satisfying.