Make Us Happy

A thousand years in the future, society is run by computers, with not a gesture or activity unnoticed by their all-seeing detectors. Spacescrapers-three miles high, 1,000 stories, 1,000 people per floor-house 1,000,000 people. The divorce rate having climbed to 100 percent, the computers have made marriage almost illegal but adultery compulsory, with a resultant zero divorce rate. In this setting, Bil and Alce meet, marry, and, their sense of history whetted by a few old books and photos, decide to rebel. They set out to find the central computer bank and pull the plug. Captured and imprisoned on a Floating Island (where the computers put criminals to get their just desserts), Bil and Alce escape. Their odyssey is gripping suspense and wonderful entertainment, with an ingenious depiction of man vs. machine.

A smart and funny book by a prominent Harvard psychologist, which uses groundbreaking research and (often hilarious) anecdotes to show us why we’re so lousy at predicting what will make us happy – and what we can do about it. Most of us spend our lives steering ourselves toward the best of all possible futures, only to find that tomorrow rarely turns out as we had expected. Why? As Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert explains, when people try to imagine what the future will hold, they make some basic and consistent mistakes. Just as memory plays tricks on us when we try to look backward in time, so does imagination play tricks when we try to look forward. Using cutting-edge research, much of it original, Gilbert shakes, cajoles, persuades, tricks and jokes us into accepting the fact that happiness is not really what or where we thought it was. Among the unexpected questions he poses: Why are conjoined twins no less happy than the general population? When you go out to eat, is it better to order your favourite dish every time, or to try something new? If Ingrid Bergman hadn’t gotten on the plane at the end of Casablanca, would she and Bogey have been better off? Smart, witty, accessible and laugh-out-loud funny, Stumbling on Happiness brilliantly describes all that science has to tell us about the uniquely human ability to envision the future, and how likely we are to enjoy it when we get there.

When people find out she is a therapist, Niro Feliciano knows she isn't going anywhere anytime soon. At soccer games, at cocktail parties, in waiting rooms, people corner her and ask: Why am I so stressed? Is the way I feel normal? Why can't I just be happy? The truth is happiness is fleeting, and we are stressing ourselves out trying to achieve it. In This Book Won't Make You Happy, national media commentator and Psychology Today columnist Feliciano offers a path to something much more achievable and abundantly more satisfying: contentment. By incorporating eight simple postures rooted in cognitive behavioral science and mindfulness practices into our daily routines, we can move away from anxiety and toward balance and calm. Acceptance, gratitude, connection, a present-focused perspective, intentionality and priority, self-compassion, resilience, and faith: through these practices we will overcome obstacles that hold us back from living full, meaningful, contented lives. Anxiety, stress, and grief aren't going away anytime soon, and this book won't make you happy. But with wit and empathy, Feliciano leads you right past happy to calm. No matter how "happy" your life is--or isn't--you can reach a deeper, truer, and longer-lasting place of contentment.

How to beat low mood and lead a happier, more satisfying life

Do you want to be happier? Do you want to stop feeling bad right now? Do you want to experience greater joy than ever before? What if it was possible to feel happier than you had ever imagined before? It doesn’t matter whether you’re sad, bored, or depressed—or even if you’re already quite content—Paul McKenna can help you become a whole lot happier! Scientific research reveals that our levels of happiness aren’t fixed; we can change them through our thoughts and actions. Dr. McKenna has spent the past 25 years developing a system that can have an immediate, measurable impact on people’s emotional well-being. This book uses the latest, most powerful psychological techniques and a downloadable guided hypnosis session to help readers feel really good right now. The human mind is like a computer, with its own software that governs how we think and act. Most human problems are caused by negative programs running in the unconscious mind. This book and audio session help you install positive programs that seek out and magnify the factors that create happiness. Use it to take control of your life and start feeling happier today!

In this “powerful personal story woven with a rich analysis of what we all seek” (Sergey Brin, cofounder of Google), Mo Gawdat, Chief Business Officer at Google’s [X], applies his superior logic and problem solving skills to understand how the brain processes joy and sadness—and then he solves for happy. In 2001 Mo Gawdat realized that despite his incredible success, he was desperately unhappy. A lifelong learner, he attacked the problem as an engineer would: examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic. Eventually, his countless hours of research and science proved successful, and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness. Thirteen years later, Mo’s algorithm would be put to the ultimate test. After the sudden death of his son, Ali, Mo and his family turned to his equation—and it saved them from despair. In dealing with the horrible loss, Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of “moonshot” goal that he and his colleagues were always aiming for—he would share his equation with the world and help as many people as possible become happier. In Solve for Happy Mo questions some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence, shares the underlying reasons for suffering, and plots out a step-by-step process for achieving lifelong happiness and enduring contentment. He shows us how to view life through a clear lens, teaching us how to dispel the illusions that cloud our thinking; overcome the brain’s blind spots; and embrace five ultimate truths. No matter what obstacles we face, what burdens we bear, what trials we’ve experienced, we can all be content with our present situation and optimistic about the future.

Why is art magical? How can it make us happy? How Art Can Make You Happy offers the keys to unlocking a rich and rewarding source of joy in life. This easy, breezy handbook is full of insight that will help regular people begin a more inspiring and less stressful relationship with art. With tips on how to visit museums, how to talk about art at cocktail parties, and how to let art wake you up to the world around you, this little guide makes it possible for anyone to fall in love with art, whether for the first time or all over again.

In the grand tradition of "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" comes an uplifting tribute to 100 everyday things worth celebrating. The list, in rhyming couplets, draws directly from a preschool-er's world--from slippery floors to dinosaurs, from goldfish to a birthday wish. Amy Schwartz weaves a masterful balance between art and text, with each of the 100 items portrayed as its own well-observed and warmly detailed vignette. While the contents provide readers with a frame of reference for the quantity of "100"--a celebratory milestone in preschools and early elementary grades--the oversized pages envelop young children in the wonderful things surrounding them. Praise for 100 Things That Make Me Happy STARRED REVIEW "A fun, engaging read." --School Library Journal, starred review