STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS

In this fascinating and often hilarious work winner of the Royal Society of Science Prize 2007 pre eminent psychologist Daniel Gilbert shows how and why the majority of us have no idea how to make ourselves happy We all want to be happy but do we know how When it comes to improving tomorrow at the expense of today we re terrible at predicting how to please our future selves In Stumbling on Happiness Professor Daniel Gilbert combines psychology neuroscience economics and philosophy with irrepressible wit to describe how the human brain imagines its future and how well or badly it predicts what it will enjoy Revealing some of the amazing secrets of human motivation he also answers thought provoking questions why do dining companions order different meals instead of getting what they want Why are shoppers happier when they can t get refunds And why are couples less satisfied after having children while insisting that their kids are a source of joy