Happier, No Matter What

I have enjoyed several of Tal Ben-Shahar’s works (as well as learning with him at Kripalu). He is a gifted story teller, educator and this latest work was no exception.

I love how positive psychology expert Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar explains his reasoning for the title of this book. He claims that there is no such thing as happily ever after, but that we can continuously learn how to become happier, no matter what. His approach involves self-reflection and experimentation to improve our wellbeing in five areas: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational, and Emotional. He refers to this approach as Climbing the SPIRE, which I think is a very helpful mnemonic.

I’ve read quite a bit on positive psychology, so many of the author’s ideas were familiar to me. However, I really liked his presentation, and I did pick up some new ideas to explore. I found the text thought provoking, and particularly appreciated the discussion of deep learning and the discussion of intimate relationships as a crucible for growth. I think his approach of periodic SPIRE Check-Ins is a great way to continually assess and incrementally improve your wellbeing.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in personal growth and experiencing more wellbeing. As I was reading, I kept thinking of people I would love to gift a copy to.

Thanks to The Experiment for providing me with an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.