The Happiness Myth: The Historical Antidote to What Isn't Working Today
, by Hecht, Jennifer MichaelNote: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9780060859503 | 0060859504
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright:
Historian Jennifer Michael Hecht looks at contemporary happiness advice, explains why much of it doesn't work, and why it drives us crazy and makes us miserable. Using a social/pop-culture look at the world, she begins her inquiry through the lens of today's most oft perused paths towards attaining happiness - money, mood-managing drugs, knowledge, celebration, and bodies-and then reveals unsuspected insights about how these approaches have faired throughout history. With a new-found historical perspective, Hecht liberates us from the scolding, quasi-scientific messages that insist there's only one way to care for our minds and bodies. Rich with anecdotes about both failed and successful paths to happiness, Hecht traces a common thread of advice she calls 'our charm wisdom' that we can still apply today to create authentic, lasting happiness.