The Happiness Advantage

Want to dispel the myth that to be successful you need to keep your “nose to the grind stone” for 45 years? Well, how many “nose to the grind stone” people do you know who are happy, even in retirement?

Well the author of this book, Shawn Achor, proposes in it that “happy” people have a definite measurable advantage over serious, no time for fun types. He call it, “The Happiness Advantage.”

Shawn proposes that its happiness which fuels real success, and that, “when we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work.”

Shawn also shares many interesting and practical stories to illustrate the points in his book. One of my favorites has to do with habit forming and a NASA experiment.

Back in the sixties, volunteers were asked to wear goggles that inverted their view, making the world appear upside-down to them. The volunteers had to wear the goggles 24/7 in an effort to simulate the disorientation an astronaut may face while traveling to the moon. But a very unexpected thing happened during the experiment. After an average of 24 days, all the participants began to see everything right side up again!

This and many other stories help drive home the points in the book. And Shawn’s “seven principles of positive psychology that fuel success and performance at work” are quite motivational, and intended to show you that happiness is not a weakness, but a true advantage to being successful.

If you need a little motivation, or just want some interesting and positive stories to share with friends and family, I highly recommend this book.

By Shawn M Tierney