The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work

How many times have you read this; This book will change your life.Ahem, well, actually this book will change your life if you let it. Building on the work of Martin Seligman at Penn State University, Shawn Achor is one of the new young turks in psychology taking the findings of positive psychology and applying them to business and everyday life. These ideas are quite revolutionary, as is the whole of positive psychology predicated as it is on using what we know about our brains to enable us to use them more effectively. Before positive psychology came along, the psychological effort of humanity was focused Eeyore like on the negative side of our mental lives, exploring all of the things that could go wrong with the complex human mind. Mental illness and psychology were basically synonyms, with the medical disciplines fetishising when brains go wrong over applying its understandings in a more balanced, life-affirming way. Positive psychology restores that balance, acknowledging that there's a lot we can do in weeding our own mental garden in a manner that means we live as happy a life as possible. In fact, the premise of Shawn's wonderful book is that - happiness doesn't follow success, it is the other way round. We are, Achor says (and he backs his assertions up with buckets of evidence and examples) more likely to be successful when we are positive and happy - up to 30% more successful - because brains in a positive state are more imaginative, responsive and flexible.The book contains 7 basic principles which Achor calls the Happiness Advantage. He is a persuasive and entertaining writer and public speaker, his TED talk is here and as you can see his work is gaining a lot of attention (12 million hits and counting). The principles range from considering our everyday interactions with people through to re-setting our negative defaults to sift the environment for positive things that if our moods instead of simply worrying about what might or mightn't happen in the future. I have a copy of this book and also an audio-copy which I use in work and with some of the people I support.The book is replete with fantastic insights and ideas. The 7 principles being;1. The Happiness Advantage - Being happy gives you an edge or an advantage in terms of achieving success so happiness should be our focus, not success. Achor calls this the Copernican revolution in psychology, happiness leading to success instead of the mistaken beliefs we have about success making us happy.2. The Fulcrum and the Lever - Re-calibrating our mental responses toward the positive will move our internal psychological fulcrum giving us much greater leverage with a brain singing with positive neurotransmitters rather than one paralysed by negativity, doubt and worry.3. The Tetris Effect - Basically, this is neuroplasticity (the tendency of the human brain to change and adapt neural networks dependent on what we are doing) in action, we are what we repeatedly do. If we play Tetris for long enough everything block-like in the real-world can appeal to our Tetris habituated brain as a shape within the remit of the game and we can find ourselves trying to fit blocks together out in the real-world, blocks made of fences, walls, buildings or bricks just we happen to be passing. If we tip of brains response towards the positive we will see opportunity and creativity where before we might have seen challenge and stress. (On this point Kelly McGonigal in her wonderful TED talk makes a similar point.)4. Falling Up - This is a fascinating chapter all about how we can reset our daily to defaults to maximise our happiness experiences, such pearls of wisdom here. Quick happiness wins we can all build into our daily experience to lift our subjective experience toward the positive.5. The Zorro Circle - This is about being very clear and focused about what you want to achieve everyday and ensuring you do your very best by building the skills which enable you to achieve those daily goals.6. The 20 Second Rule - This takes forward the examples from Principle 4 and gives many examples of how we can prime our default responses to ensure we overcome any inertia around changing bad habits, for example, if we want to jog first thing in the morning, go to bed wearing Gym clothes.7 - Social Investment - As social animals this principle acknowledges the importance of making strong, supportive connections with others (colleagues and friends) in ensuring we maximise our happiness.All in all one of the best development, self-help books I've read in a while. Heartily recommended and I will be spending several years implementing its suggestions in terms of leading and managing successful teams at my work-place and convincing colleagues to do the same.***** (Five Stars)

I bought this book off the back of an excellent TED talk by Shawn. I found it easy to absorb with plenty of practical examples for the points he is making. It also has plenty of scientific backing in terms of psychological/behavioural studies referenced but to me this is a little beside the point as if you search long enough you can find a study or 2 to back up most theories. To me it comes down to whether you believe in the core concepts of the book, which to me seemed to be that being happy and positive is good for you in many many ways and that for people who don't find this easy/natural, you can change. To get the most out of a book like this I think you need to read it through at least once and then revisit and reflect regularly and put as many of the principles into effect DAILY. There is little point just reading it once and then wondering why you don't feel happy and successful overnight.

This is a pretty good book with easy-to-implement tips for becoming happier. I think there are better books out there - Tal Ben-Shahar's "Happier" is good, and some of Paul McKenna's books are great too. The upside of this book is that it's funny, there are interesting examples, and it's all backed up with quite rigorous science. The downside is that, in my opinion, you can get the most important information from watching Shawn Achor's TED talk. Also I have to say, although this book contains a lot of good ideas, I haven't done much about them since reading it. Whereas with Rick Hanson's 'Just One Thing', which has 52 easy ideas for greater happiness, you can start them straight away, and I did. Last slight criticism - the emphasis in The Happiness Advantage is on being happier in order to be better at work and life... but I tend to think that being happier could really be an aim in itself, without it needing to be "if you're happier, you can process your emails faster". My advice is to watch the TED talk instead.

Despite some shortcomings the book is worth reading. The writing is upbeat and positive and the ideas stick and make sense. A book that we all should read even if you are a cynic.After watching Shawn Achor on TED I was enthusiastic about the book. But, after initial feelings of excitement and positivity I felt a little bit of disappointment as all seemed like an unending introduction.Too Few tips on How to gain the skills/States And too many examples. Everything becomes a blur after a while.A summary page/ graph/table with the principles and tips could be useful. And I believe the author will make up for it at one point. Therefore five stars.he is a great mind and he is onto something.

Bought As A Gift & The Recipient Liked it.

This is clearly a great self-help book. But what I liked the most is the constant references to science and research and how some of it can be used by "happy people".I'll start using many of the principles in this book. Some in my personal others in my work life. Hopefully will make me happier and give me the advantage to be more successful.

Recommended to me by my business mentor and I am glad I read it, but once I got to the end, I felt as though I'd already read the book at about the half-way mark. The first half seems to explain / deliver what the title suggests, the latter half seems like waffle and could have almost been put into an altogether different book. Still useful, and not that difficult to get through :)

Nice summary, good read for an international flight. 4 stars

The author’s sense of humor makes this book so enjoyable. It is dense and packed with information - which can be challenging to get through. However, if you focus on all the practical tools and the life changing information, it gets more exciting as you envision all the changes you can make in your life!

"The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life" by Shawn Achor is a compelling book that turns traditional thinking about happiness and success on its head. Based on positive psychology principles and research, Achor proposes that happiness is not just a result of success but a precursor to it. Here’s a summary of key concepts and insights from the book, which I find particularly relevant and insightful:- Positive Psychology at Work: Achor, who spent over a decade at Harvard University studying happiness, draws on his own research and that of others in the field of positive psychology to argue that a positive mindset can significantly increase motivation, efficiency, resilience, creativity, and, ultimately, success in the workplace.- The Happiness Advantage: The core idea of the book is that individuals who cultivate a positive mindset experience a 'happiness advantage'. This advantage manifests as enhanced brain function, which in turn leads to better problem-solving abilities, creativity, and job performance. Achor presents seven principles that individuals can use to improve their happiness and success rates.- Seven Principles: These principles include the power of positive psychology, the fulcrum and the lever (changing your experience of reality through mindset), the Tetris Effect (training your brain to spot patterns of possibility), falling up (finding the path out of failure), the Zorro Circle (focusing on small, manageable goals to gain control over the bigger picture), the 20-second rule (reducing barriers to change with small energy adjustments), and social investment (relying on social support to overcome challenges).- Evidence-Based Strategies: Achor provides practical, evidence-based strategies for increasing happiness and productivity. These include gratitude exercises, the practice of positive journaling, exercise, meditation, and fostering social connections.- Applications in the Workplace: The book also delves into how organizations can apply these principles to create happier and more productive work environments. Achor discusses how positive leadership and a culture that prioritizes happiness can lead to significant improvements in job satisfaction, engagement, and performance.From a professional standpoint, especially for someone with a background in psychology and business, "The Happiness Advantage" offers valuable insights into how positive psychological practices can be leveraged for personal growth and organizational improvement. The book supports the idea that fostering a positive mindset and happiness in individuals can lead to more profound success and fulfillment, not just in their personal lives but also in their professional endeavors. Achor’s work is a testament to the power of positive psychology in transforming workplaces and enhancing leadership effectiveness, making it a valuable resource for consultants aiming to drive positive change in organizations.

I really liked this book. Alot of really good info. The author makes alot of sense and I believe is very credible with his Harvard education.

Great book, worth reading

"The Happiness Advantage" von Shawn Achor ist ein inspirierendes Buch, das positive Psychologie und persönliche Entwicklung miteinander verbindet. Hier ist eine mögliche Bewertung:Betreff: "Die Glücklichkeitsvorteile: Ein Blick auf das Positive"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Shawn Achor's "The Happiness Advantage" ist ein erfrischendes Werk, das die Art und Weise, wie wir Erfolg und Glück betrachten, grundlegend verändert. Durch eine Kombination aus wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen und praxisorientierten Ansätzen zeigt Achor überzeugend auf, dass Glück nicht nur eine Folge des Erfolgs ist, sondern auch ein Wegweiser dazu.Die Stärke des Buches liegt in seiner wissenschaftlichen Fundierung, die dennoch leicht verständlich bleibt. Achor präsentiert Forschungsergebnisse auf unterhaltsame Weise und illustriert sie mit anschaulichen Beispielen aus dem Alltag. Die Idee, dass Glückliche produktiver sind und bessere Ergebnisse erzielen, ist überzeugend dargelegt.Besonders wertvoll sind die praktischen Tipps und Übungen, die Achor bietet, um positive Gewohnheiten zu entwickeln und das eigene Glücksniveau zu steigern. Die Anwendbarkeit im beruflichen und persönlichen Kontext macht das Buch zu einem wertvollen Begleiter für jeden, der nachhaltige Veränderungen in seinem Leben anstrebt."The Happiness Advantage" ist nicht nur ein Buch, sondern eine Anleitung zu einem erfüllten Leben. Es erinnert uns daran, dass Glück kein Zufall ist, sondern eine bewusste Wahl. Eine klare Empfehlung für alle, die nach einer positiven Perspektive auf Erfolg und Lebensqualität suchen.