The Happy Mind: A Simple Guide to Living a Happier Life Starting Today

           
by Kevin Horsley and Louis Fourie  (2018)

Of all the books on positive psychology that have been reviewed in this blog so far, this book contains by far the most straightforward description of the happy state of mind and is by far the most transparent in describing the sort of behaviours that contribute to this way of being.  There is no equivocation about the exact nature of happiness and there's no discussion of how difficult it is for people to predict what will make them happy.   Instead the authors just get about describing the features of a broadly happy life-style; for example, the authors explain that it takes work to be happy, but by implication, that this is happy work.  They particularly stress that happiness is a creation borne of an approach where a person seeks to solve problems rather than to dwell on them.

Overall this book is an invigorating, quick read, and is pretty convincing in that those who seem broadly happy do indeed manifest the traits the authors describe. The only slightly nagging doubt:  are happy people simply luckier than others? Are they faced with the same problems everyone faces or are they actually happier because their lives are less traumatic?  Although the book's implicit message is clear, (ie: that you really can make your own happiness, even in the face of huge difficulties), there is no deep exploration of this issue.  Still, the argument is a wake up call for all those who are miserable without due cause.

Rating: 8/10.



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