In a Nutshell: This fresh and fascinating work is by two business professors who have spent a decade conducting scientific research on happiness. They have enriched these proceedings with colorful anecdotal material, cross-cultural insights, and the latest findings in behavioral science, psychology, religion, and management science.
The authors emphasize the importance of choice in building a joyful life and share the six essential laws of happiness. They also challenge readers to identify the triggers to happiness in the ordinary rounds of everyday life. We think that both in approach and in its creativity, Engineering Happiness is one of the best books on happiness in many a moon!
About the Authors: Manel Baucells is Professor of Business and Economics at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, and Rakesh Sarin is Paine Professor of Management at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. In the introduction, they write:
"As any good, curious engineers would do, the two of us set out to define, measure, and discover the properties of happiness in a systematic and analytical way. Our curiosity has led us to some fascinating findings, the most important of which is our belief that happiness can, in fact, be engineered."
Sum and Substance: We were surprised by the results of surveys done with lottery winners and paraplegics and then with American millionaires and Masai warriors about their views on their own happiness. Baucells and Sarin have come up with some very interesting methods for measuring joy, including cross-cultural comparisons, a reconstruction of a typical day, diaries, neuroimaging, and more.
Starting with their basic observation, "HAPPINESS equals REALITY minus EXPECTATIONS," Baucells and Sarin discuss "happydons," which they see as the building blocks of emotions, feelings, and states of mind.
They also probe the six laws of happiness which have to do with comparison, expectation, loss, sensitivity, satiation, and presentism. In a chapter on "The Treasures of Happiness," the authors look at the pleasures provided by the needs of the body, the heart, and the mind. Baucells and Sarin then up the ante with their analysis of five types of goods and their capacity to produce happiness. They conclude with a list of thirteen arenas where individuals can achieve happiness.
Quotes to Go:
"Happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain; unhappiness is pain and privation of pleasure."
— John Stuart Mill
"Reminiscing about past pleasurable experiences such as skydiving, the birth of a child, or a stroll with your lover adds to present happiness. In some cultures, such as in India, customs require sharing of good news with neighbors and the community. Then, there will be multiple opportunities to recall over time as the same event, such as a wedding, is discussed again and again in conversations with those with whom the news was overtly shared."
— Manel Baucells and Rakesh Sarin
"The dread of evil is a much more forcible principle of human actions than the prospect of good."
— John Locke
"The one who would be in constant happiness must frequently change."
— Confucius
"Our advice is to store your fabulous experiences — such as watching the World Cup with friends — in your bucket of happy memories to be recalled fondly in the future. But extract the most joy out of a current experience by comparing it to a less favorable event of the past."
— Manel Baucells and Rakesh Sarin
"Every day, reframe at least one experience from negative to positive. For example, if a package you've been waiting for hasn't arrived yet, rather than getting upset, focus on how amazing it is that this package can travel across the country or around the world so (relatively) quickly."
— Manel Baucells and Rakesh Sarin
If You Like This Book, You'll Also Want to Read . . .
• Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by Tal Ben-Shahar
• Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard
• The Happiness Makeover: How to Teach Yourself to Be Happy and Enjoy Every Day by M. J. Ryan
