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  • Stumbling on Happiness

  • Written by: Daniel Gilbert
  • Narrated by: Daniel Gilbert
  • Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (124 ratings)

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Stumbling on Happiness

Written by: Daniel Gilbert
Narrated by: Daniel Gilbert
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2006 Daniel Gilbert (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

What the critics say

Stumbling on Happiness is an absolutely fantastic book that will shatter your most deeply held convictions about how your own mind works. Ceaselessly entertaining, Gilbert is the perfect guide to some of the most interesting psychological research ever performed. Think you know what makes you happy? You won’t know for sure until you have read this book.”–Steven D. Levitt, author of Freakonomics

“Everyone will enjoy reading this book, and some of us will wish we could have written it. You will rarely have a chance to learn so much about so important a topic while having so much fun.”–Professor Daniel Kahneman, Princeton University, Winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics

“This is a brilliant book, a useful book, and a book that could quite possibly change the way you look at just about everything. And as a bonus, Gilbert writes like a cross between Malcolm Gladwell and David Sedaris.” –Seth Godin, author All Marketers Are Liars

What listeners say about Stumbling on Happiness

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Entertaining and informative!

Will be listening to it again, good narration and funny with lots of great info

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An Excellent Book

A well documented and scientifically oriented very readable account of the iddities of human behaviour

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Goddamn what a good book.

It's witty, it's clever, it's insightful, and it's interesting, through and through. And did I mention how hilarious this book is? Honestly, Dan Gilbert is a national treasure. Five minutes into this book and I was already convinced of it. Can't wait to re-read this one with a notepad and a yellow highlighter.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Worst jokes ever

Honestly it's a good book but the author tries to be funny throughout and it just doesn't work. I don't know who told him he was funny... But his attempt at humour really ruins the book

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Excellent!

Great audiobook with lots of scientific information about happiness. I’d recommend this for sure. Excellent book.

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Amazing

Simply one of the best books I’ve ever listened to. It’s entertaining and thought provoking. I highly recommend the read if you like books covering a broad focus of disciplines to illustrate the need to question a simple premise.

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Interesting but bad jokes

It was an interesting book but so many bad jokes was not my style. Good content

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Meh

I'm sure lots of people will love it, but I had to force myself to get to the end. Too "scientific" for me.

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