More Than Happiness

'This groundbreaking study provides a much-needed philosophical framework for those practising mindfulness as well as a call to recover the pragmatic and therapeutic dimensions of philosophy.' - Stephen Batchelor, author of After Buddhism and Secular Buddhism Modern readers tend to think of Buddhism as spending time alone meditating, searching for serenity. Stoicism calls to mind repressing our emotions in order to help us soldier on through adversity. But how accurate are our popular understandings of these traditions? And what can we learn from them without either buying in wholeheartedly to their radical ideals or else transmuting them into simple self-improvement regimes that bear little resemblance to their original aims? How can we achieve more than happiness? In More than Happiness, Antonia Macaro delves into both philosophies, focusing on the elements that fit with our sceptical age, and those which have the potential to make the biggest impact on how we live. From accepting that some things are beyond our control, to monitoring our emotions for unhealthy reactions, to shedding attachment to material things, there is much, she argues, that we can take and much that we'd do better to leave behind. In this synthesis of ancient wisdom, Macaro reframes the 'good life', and gets us to see the world as it really is and to question the value of the things we desire. The goal is more than happiness: living ethically and placing value on the right things in life.

What if you could change your life--without changing your life? Gretchen had a good marriage, two healthy daughters, and work she loved--but one day, stuck on a city bus, she realized that time was flashing by, and she wasn’t thinking enough about the things that really mattered. “I should have a happiness project,” she decided. She spent the next year test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Each month, she pursued a different set of resolutions: go to sleep earlier, quit nagging, forget about results, or take time to be silly. Bit by bit, she began to appreciate and amplify the happiness that already existed in her life. Written with humour and insight, Gretchen’s story will inspire you to start your own happiness project. Now in a beautiful, expanded edition, Gretchen offers a wealth of new material including happiness paradoxes and practical tips on many daily matters: being a more light-hearted parent, sticking to a fitness routine, getting your sweetheart to do chores without nagging, coping when you forget someone’s name and more.

Learn how to achieve the happiness you deserve "A guide to sustaining your newfound contentment." —Psychology Today "Lyubomirsky's central point is clear: a significant portion of what is called happiness . . . is up for grabs. Taking some pages out of the positive psychology playbook, she coaches readers on how to snag it." —The New York Review of Books You see here a different kind of happiness book. The How of Happiness is a comprehensive guide to understanding the elements of happiness based on years of groundbreaking scientific research. It is also a practical, empowering, and easy-to-follow workbook, incorporating happiness strategies, excercises in new ways of thinking, and quizzes for understanding our individuality, all in an effort to help us realize our innate potential for joy and ways to sustain it in our lives. Drawing upon years of pioneering research with thousands of men and women, The How of Happiness is both a powerful contribution to the field of positive psychology and a gift to people who have sought to take their happiness into their own hands.

Tolstoy wrote, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This is the statement that inspired bestselling author Gretchen Rubin to wonder whether she could foster an even greater happiness in her home. During The Happiness Project, the same questions kept tugging at her. How can I raise happy children? How can I maintain a tender, romantic relationship with my spouse--after fifteen years of marriage? How do I keep my Blackberry from taking over my private life? How can I foster a well-ordered, light-hearted atmosphere in my house, when no one else will lift a finger to cooperate? This book is Gretchen's account of her second journey in pursuit of happiness. Prescriptive, easy-to-follow, and anecdotal, Happier at Home offers readers a way of thinking and being that is positive and life-affirming. With specific examples following the calendar year, an intimate voice, and drawing from science and pop culture, this book will resonate with anyone looking to strengthen the bonds of family.

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST and REAL SIMPLE A profound and enchanting new novel from Booker Prize-longlisted author Niall Williams about the loves of our lives and the joys of reminiscing. You don't see rain stop, but you sense it. You sense something has changed in the frequency you've been living and you hear the quietness you thought was silence get quieter still, and you raise your head so your eyes can make sense of what your ears have already told you, which at first is only: something has changed. The rain is stopping. Nobody in the small, forgotten village of Faha remembers when it started; rain on the western seaboard was a condition of living. Now--just as Father Coffey proclaims the coming of electricity--it is stopping. Seventeen-year-old Noel Crowe is standing outside his grandparents' house shortly after the rain has stopped when he encounters Christy for the first time. Though he can't explain it, Noel knows right then: something has changed. This is the story of all that was to follow: Christy's long-lost love and why he had come to Faha, Noel's own experiences falling in and out of love, and the endlessly postponed arrival of electricity--a development that, once complete, would leave behind a world that had not changed for centuries. Niall Williams' latest novel is an intricately observed portrait of a community, its idiosyncrasies and its traditions, its paradoxes and its inanities, its failures and its triumphs. Luminous and otherworldly, and yet anchored with deep-running roots into the earthy and the everyday, This Is Happiness is about stories as the very stuff of life: the ways they make the texture and matter of our world, and the ways they write and rewrite us.

“If freedom and joy are what you seek, I couldn’t recommend this book more.” —Rhonda Byrne, New York Times best-selling author of The Secret and The Greatest Secret Happiness Is Free is filled with profound insights and practical tools that will guide you to let go of painful feelings, unwanted thoughts, and negative stories and naturally open up to the happiness and unlimited potential that is within you right now. And it’s easier than you think. Simple but powerful questions for self-inquiry and effective techniques will empower you to gently let go of what, just a moment ago, seemed like an unsolvable issue or overwhelming emotion—anything from anger and frustration to fear, anxiety, and stress. You’ll learn how to apply easy-to-use practices for letting go—including Holistic Releasing, Triple Welcoming, and others—to find more joy and peace of mind in every area of your life. In each chapter, renowned teachers Lester Levenson and Hale Dwoskin (New York Times best-selling author of The Sedona Method) offer life-changing opportunities to break free from self-imposed blocks and rediscover the real, unlimited you—and the ultimate happiness that is your birthright. Their combination of liberating insights, inspiration, and deep releasing explorations make this book a treasured companion for anyone who is seeking to navigate everyday life with greater ease, clarity, and sense of true purpose. "One of my most treasured books that changed my life is Lester's Keys to the Ultimate Freedom. It features Lester's words and insights drawn from decades of his teachings, and it is the only book that sits on my bedside table. Unfortunately the book has been out of print for a long time, but Hale Dwoskin has taken all of Lester's teachings from Keys to the Ultimate Freedom and put them in this new book, along with many of the releasing methods from the Sedona Method. You have the best of Lester's teachings and his methods in this one book, and if freedom and joy are what you seek, I couldn't recommend this book more. I used the Sedona Method occasionally over a ten-year period and found enormous benefit from it. Then, when I met my teacher -- who was a student of Lester Levenson's -- four years ago, Lester's releasing methods became a crucial part of my everyday life and my awakening." -- From the forward by Rhonda Byrne, New York Times best-selling author of The Secret and The Greatest Secret “Happiness is about remembering who you really are, and if you have forgotten, this book is an excellent reminder.” —Deepak Chopra, author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success “If the roots of all suffering are attachments to the external, the roots of true joy are found only within. This book maps the ways to a profound state of peace.” —James Redfield, author of The Celestine Prophecy “Be set free with the brilliance and insights in this book.” —Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the #1 New York Times best-selling series Chicken Soup for the Soul® “Once in a human while, an individual comes along who has unlocked the secrets of happiness and opens the door for others to follow. Lester Levenson was such a one.... Happiness Is Free offers rare and penetrating insight into the freedom we all long for. This book can take you home.” —Alan Cohen, author of The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

Be ambitious; find everlasting love; look after your health ... There are countless stories about how we ought to live our lives. These narratives can make our lives easier, and they might sometimes make us happier too. But they can also trap us and those around us. In Happy Ever After, bestselling happiness expert Professor Paul Dolan draws on a wealth of evidence to bust the common myths about our sources of happiness and shows that there can be many unexpected paths to lasting happiness. Some of these might involve not going into higher education, choosing not to marry, rewarding acts rooted in self-interest and caring a little less about living forever. By freeing ourselves from the myth of the perfect life, we might each find a life worth living.

A fun, illustrated guide that takes us around the world, discovering the secrets to happiness. Author Helen Russell (The Year of Living Danishly) uncovers the fascinating ways that different nations search for happiness in their lives, and what they can teach us about our own quest for meaning. This charming and diverse assortment of advice, history, and philosophies includes: Sobremesa from Spain Turangawaewae from New Zealand Azart from Russia Tarab from Syria joie de vivre from Canada and many more.