The Happiness Hypothesis Book Summary (PDF) by Jonathan Haidt

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Ready to learn the most important takeaways from The Happiness Hypothesis in less than two minutes? Keep reading!

Why This Book Matters:

The Happiness Hypothesis explains to readers the internal and external factors which influence their happiness.

The Big Takeaways:

  1. Two separate parts of the mind control us.
    1. If Some actions and thoughts are within our control, while others are not.
  2. Many biological factors influence our satisfaction with life, but our way of thinking is just as important.
    1. We cannot control our thoughts, but we can implement activities, such as meditation and cognitive therapy, to help us gain more joy from the happiness we experience.
  3. Humans have a desire to return favors to people.
    1. It is ingrained in humans to give back what they have been given in one way or another; it is one of our strongest desires.
  4. A lack of self-perception can make many relationships difficult.
    1. Introspection is not a human’s favorite activity because it forces them to realize that there are parts of them that are less than desirable. Therefore, they often ignore their faults, leading to poor relationships.
  5. You must surround yourself with the right people to be happy.
    1. Humans rely on genuine social interaction to fuel their happiness.

Want To Keep Reading?

  1. Read A Longer Form Summary on Blinkist
  2. Buy The Book on Amazon
  3. Listen To The Audiobook

Watch A Video Summary:

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