The Happiness Hypothesis (2006) by Jonathan Haidt

Psychology is not a field of study that interests me much. However, if I were to study psychology I likely would gravitate towards positive psychology as a way to better understand my emotional state, personal tendencies, and for insights into how to live a more fulfilling life. This gravitation towards the positive end of the psychology spectrum is likely why I picked up this book to begin with. Overall, I think it was a decent read and worth reading if a person is interested in how Eastern and Western philosophies and perspectives can come together to create a more fulfilling life. With that said, I wasn’t drawn into this book like I am with others and I struggled to finish it over a 3 week period. Perhaps it was the way the author went about making his argument and how he integrated scientific examples and studies, or that I found multiple chapters to be repetitive of those which came before, but there was something about this book that didn’t ‘click’ with me. If I were to focus any of my studies on positive psychology I would like pick up this book again as a starting point to investigate other authors, researchers, and theories. However, I would be unlikely to re-read this book in the future for any enjoyment or pleasure.