Stumbling on happiness

No cover — Daniel Todd Gilbert: Stumbling on happiness (2006, A. A. Knopf)

Published Jan. 6, 2006 by A. A. Knopf.

(1 review)

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 …

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.From the Hardcover edition.

12 editions

Infinite Summaries reviewed Stumbling on happiness by Daniel Todd Gilbert

Ignore your brain.

4 stars

[My review of the 12min summary]

Daniel Gilbert is a social psychologist and professor at Harvard. He specializes in affective forecasting, which is the brain's ability to predict whether it will be a happy brain or a sad brain in the future.

This is a good book. It describes the ways your brain is incapable of predicting the future and remembering the past. Most people think that their memories are accurate. They're not! Stop believing that crap! Your brain is failing you! It's a bigger disappointment than your no-good son who dropped out of college and now plays video games in your basement.

Final Notes (quoted from 12min) "You are unable to predict the future correctly, or even to remember events accurately. Since the brain needs to economize, it automatically fills in details of past and future experiences, while leaving other details out. It is also incapable of accurately imagining …

[My review of the 12min summary]

Daniel Gilbert is a social psychologist and professor at Harvard. He specializes in affective forecasting, which is the brain's ability to predict whether it will be a happy brain or a sad brain in the future.

This is a good book. It describes the ways your brain is incapable of predicting the future and remembering the past. Most people think that their memories are accurate. They're not! Stop believing that crap! Your brain is failing you! It's a bigger disappointment than your no-good son who dropped out of college and now plays video games in your basement.

Final Notes (quoted from 12min) "You are unable to predict the future correctly, or even to remember events accurately. Since the brain needs to economize, it automatically fills in details of past and future experiences, while leaving other details out. It is also incapable of accurately imagining you in a different situation from the one you are in right now.

"The easiest way to overcome these shortcomings of the brain is to listen to the advice of others. Also, when planning for the future, remember that upon looking back, you will regret the things you did not do, while you will learn from any mistakes you made."