Happiness Hacks: 100% Scientific! Curiously Effective!

Books about happiness always make me feel good. There is something about focusing on joyous thoughts that makes life better. This book is no exception and was a real pleasure to read. Happiness Hacks does a great job focusing on objective studies of what makes people happy. It is well organized and gives information in easy to digest, bite sized chunks. A lot of other books with loads of information can get tedious, but this one moves along at a brisk pace. Books about happiness can also get really metaphysical so it was nice to read one more grounded in a science. Overall, this was an awesome book. I definitely recommend it. It'll make you happier.

This is a fun, quick read. I really liked the actionable steps to being happier! I’ve read it twice.

Are you seeking more happiness in your life? If so, then consider letting your brain access the inside of this book. It’s well organized, easy to read, and chock full of tips for bringing more happiness your way. (It’s also a nice small size that easily fits into a bigger purse or pack). Whether you are at home, work, the web, or on vacation, the information here can help you adjust to each situation so that happiness finds you. The chapters flow into one another, but it’s also possible to just skip to the book sections that one finds most interesting. And while it’s not a picture book, it does try to be visually appealing with eye catching orange headings to sub-chapters and text boxes. The information offered is based on scientific research which is listed at the back of the book - if one want to investigate further. The most helpful parts of the book are the hacks which are given throughout the book after most sub-sections in every chapter. [Full disclosure: The author, Alex Palmer, reached out to me on Goodreads and offered me a copy of the book for an honest review. At first I thought - uggh, no - it’s too much like forced reading. A homework assignment looming after the reading. However, after giving it a couple of days to percolate in my head, I changed my mind and said “sure”. I’m glad I did - it really is a good book.]

Quick and easy reading to capture a bunch of mostly science-backed hacks. I say mostly because as time goes by a lot of the psychology studies have been debunked as unrepeatable. That may be the case for some of the ones included here. Nevertheless, the vast majority I have seen listed elsewhere, and so, for the most part, should be trustworthy to get your happiness up. The book ends with an important caveat chapter - there is more to life than happiness - struggle, other emotions, etc. Happiness as a goal, especially the main goal, nay actually backfire.

A well-written fun lighthearted read full of happiness tips based on research. Palmer has organized the book into sections addressing different part of life: work, play, love, home, friendship, health, etc. Readers can easily jump to chapters that they feel most interested in. With each chapter, Palmer presents the research and follows with actionable tips. References are provided at the back, so readers who want to know "where to find the science," can read up more about it. Highly recommended.

What a fun, insightful read! Palmer's breezy how-to offers bite-sized morsels about happiness in a variety of different contexts, including home, the workplace, one's social circle, and online. With its rounded edges and compulsively flippable pages, the brightly colored volume invites readers to dip in and out of its tips and cautions: this would be a great book to leave out on the coffee table in a home or in the waiting room of an office. But the book also rewards more sustained attention. Palmer often acknowledges the contradictions implicit in his advice. Watching TV can make you unhappy -- unless you share the experience with a loved one. Coffee can be a positive in your daily routine -- but so can taking a break from caffeine to reduce your tolerance. Value deep friendships over weak ties -- but keep weak ties in your "friendship portfolio," or you'll be missing out on a general sense of belonging and a variety of perspectives that can spark creativity. Palmer's final point -- that happiness itself may have its downsides -- caps off the book with a level of nuance and ambiguity I didn't necessarily expect going in.

Some days work can be hard or maybe it’s your personal life or just the weather that has your down in the dumps. I read this book for some good old scientific research on the best happiness hacks and it was worth the time!

Nuff said. Don’t buy this.